Unruly passenger behavior is no longer unusual in Japan’s service industry, including in the aviation sector.
Recently, two Japanese airlines, Japan Airlines (JAL) and All Nippon Airways (ANA), have updated their flight regulations to protect their staff from potential verbal and physical abuse by airline passengers.
New Rules on Handling Unruly Passenger Behavior by Japanese Airlines
According to the Basic Policy on Customer Harassment published on JAL’s official website, they state that they will not tolerate “verbal harassment, assault, or any form of disturbance, as we consider such behavior dangerous to our employees, and we will take appropriate action to protect the safety of our staff.”
Meanwhile, ANA’s Group Policy on Customer Harassment declares their intention to ensure that the human rights of both employees and airline passengers are equally respected.
A representative from ANA also revealed that the lack of clear SOPs has made it difficult for staff to handle incidents of disruptive passenger behavior, which naturally places a burden on them.
Examples of disruptive behavior from airline passengers include physical violence, property damage, sexual harassment, verbal harassment such as yelling, unauthorized access to work areas, and unreasonable demands. ANA even explicitly mentions voyeurism and stalking.
On the other hand, JAL explained that there is a possibility they may cooperate with the police or lawyers and will also provide follow-up care to support the mental and physical well-being of their staff.
The new rules from these two Japanese airlines state that they will issue warnings to airline passengers who behave disruptively, and they may refuse boarding to such passengers or contact local authorities to handle the situation.
