This Country Fines Impatient Airplane Passengers For Standing Up Too Early

In a move to enhance in-flight safety and order, Turkish aviation authorities have introduced fines for passengers who stand up or unbuckle their seatbelts before the aircraft has come to a complete stop. The Turkish Directorate General of Civil Aviation mandates that such infractions, including crowding the aisles prematurely or opening overhead bins too early, can result in fines up to 2,603 Turkish lira (approximately $67).

Airlines are now required to update in-flight announcements to inform passengers of these penalties, aiming to reduce safety risks and ensure a more orderly deplaning process. The new regulations reflect growing concerns over passenger behavior during taxiing and the importance of adhering to safety protocols.

Director General Kemal Yuksek instructed cabin crews for planes landing in Turkey to issue warnings that passengers who do not "respect the disembarkation priority of the passengers in front of or around you" will be reported to the authority and "an administrative fine will be imposed in accordance with the applicable legal regulations."

According to The Washington Post, this includes unfastening seat belts, standing up, opening the overhead compartments or crowding the aisle while the plane is still taxiing to the gate, but also standing up or proceeding into the aisle before the row's turn to exit, the directive states. Yuksek noted in the circular that there has been a significant increase in reports of such behavior, which risks "passenger and baggage safety and security" and disregards "the satisfaction and exit priority" of other passengers.

According to The New York Post, under the rules, passengers must wait until the deplaning process has reached their row before they can stand up to gather their belongings and proceed off the plane.

The fines were imposed after notable increase in passengers crowding airplane aisles, the notice said, explaining that the behavior poses a risk to "passenger and baggage safety and security" along with affecting the "the satisfaction and exit priority" of others.

Crowding the aisles is technically against Federal Aviation Administration code in the United States, too, with regulations requiring flight attendants to alert the captain if passengers are getting to their feet before the plane is parked. But those rules only apply while the plane's seatbelt signs are turned on, and do not apply after they've been switched off.