It’s incredibly frustrating having someone hold up your flight for arriving late, but it’s no reason to beat staff with a pair of sandals.
Air India is introducing hefty fines for latecomers who turn unruly and passengers who delay flights because of their bad behaviour after a series of attacks on the airport staff.
According to the India Times, a politician beat a 60-year-old staff member with a pair of sandals after a politician from a rival party held up the flight as her wheelchair-bound mother was requested to change seats from the emergency row – as is common procedure on airlines.
In another case, a different politician assaulted an Air Indian staffer as he arrived late to his flight and was refused boarding.
To add insult to injury, the politicians got away scot-free. The new rules aim to create greater accountability for people’s actions in all tiers of society.
The fines for arriving up to an hour late are equivalent to AU$10,000, one to two hours late is $20,000 and for delaying a flight for more than two hours is a $30,000 fine.
The fines are symbolic amounts meant to deter this behaviour.