Not free to change seats any more

(www.chinanews.cn)
Updated: 2006-10-16 13:54

The Regulation on Civil Aviation Flight Standard Management was sent to related departments for approval. One of the clauses in the regulation stipulates that passengers who change seats without permission, or leave his/her seat or open his/her luggage when the plane is taking off, landing, sliding, or meeting air turbulence, shall be fined as high as 10,000 yuan.

While the regulation sets industrial standards for air crew members, it also regulates the behaviors of passengers. One of the clauses in the regulation says that if passengers change seats without listening to air crew members' suggestion and their behavior affects the balance of the plane or block the emergency exit, or if passengers sit near the emergency exit and refuse to change seats as required by air crew members, they shall be fined between 500-10,000 yuan. If their behavior violates related security administration acts, the public security body can impose administrative punishment on them. If the behavior violates certain laws, their criminal responsibility shall be ascertained.

Meanwhile, the regulation states that when passengers change seats or open their luggage during the take-off, landing, or sliding time, or when the plane meets air turbulence, they shall also be fined between 500-10,000 yuan.

In addition, passengers shall also be fined when they conduct one of the 13 irregularities stated in the regulation. The 13 behaviors includes smoking on the plane; bringing hand luggage on the plane whose size and weight do not meet the specified standard; putting hand luggage on the plane without listening to crew members' advice and the behavior might affect people's evacuation under emergency situation; etc. Passengers shall also be fined when, under emergency situation, they do not follow crew members' advice and their behavior causes a chaos on the plane or affects the balance of the plane.