Ryanair introduces £500 fine for passengers to ensure 'stress-free' flights

Ryanair passengers causing a ruckus on flights may now be slapped with a hefty £500 fine and shown the exit before take-off, as the airline intensifies its crackdown on bad behaviour.

In a move to quell inflight disturbances, Ryanair has declared that this will serve as the "minimum" penalty and pursue troublemakers for civil damages. The policy is intended to create "stress-free" environment that is free from disruption from a minority of passengers.

Ryanair has said in-flight disruptions plaguing all carriers, but they're taking a firm stand to protect their customers and staff from from unruly behaviour. The strict measures are designed a "deterrent" for passengers, safeguarding smoother journeys.

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"It is unacceptable that passengers are made to suffer unnecessary disruption because of one unruly passenger's behaviour," a spokesperson for Ryanair stated, as reports the Express.

"To help ensure that our passengers and crew travel in a comfortable and stress-free environment, without unnecessary disruption caused by a tiny number of unruly passengers, we have introduced a £500 fine, which will be issued to any passengers offloaded from aircraft as a result of their misconduct.

"While these are isolated events which happen across all airlines, disruptive behaviour in such a confined shared space is unacceptable, and we hope that our proactive approach will act as a deterrent to eliminate this unacceptable behaviour onboard our aircraft."

In an effort to combat in-flight safety risks, the airline has been pushing for a limit on the number of alcoholic beverages served at airport bars, advocating a maximum of two per passenger, with Ryanair calling for action to ensure "a safer travel experience".

The budget carrier has underscored the serious implications of unruly passengers, who can cause expensive diversions, impacting both the airline's operations and other customers' plans.

Pointing towards a pattern of problem drinking at certain airports, Ryanair has notably marked four UK locations - Liverpool, Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh - as hot spots for pre-boarding alcohol consumption, with CEO Michael O'Leary publicly supporting the introduction of stringent measures.

O'Leary, speaking to the Telegraph, made his position clear last year on the need for responsible drinking prior to flying: "We don't want to begrudge people having a drink. But we don't allow people to drink-drive, yet we keep putting them up in aircraft at 33,000 feet. As long as they can stand up and shuffle they will get through. Then when the plane takes off we see the misbehaviour."

Ryanair's current guidelines permit passengers to bring duty-free alcohol with up to 70% ABV in the cabin, but they must refrain from consuming it mid-flight.

Duty-free alcoholic purchases must be kept sealed and not accessed until reaching the final destination, a rule imposed by the airline to reduce the risk of disruptive conduct while airborne.

Travellers should note that Ryanair personnel conduct bag inspections prior to boarding for specific routes, particularly those flying to popular party spots, such as certain Greek islands and Ibiza, notorious for anti-social occurrences.

On the wider issue of alcohol consumption at airports, a Ryanair spokesperson stated: "It is time that European Union authorities take action to limit the sale of alcohol at airports.

"Airlines like Ryanair already restrict and limit the sale of alcohol on board our aircraft, particularly in disruptive passenger cases. However, during flight delays, passengers are consuming excess alcohol at airports without any limit on purchase or consumption."

The spokesperson added: "We fail to understand why passengers at airports are not limited to two alcoholic drinks (using their boarding pass in exactly the same way they limit duty free sales), as this would result in safer and better passenger behaviour on board aircraft, and a safer travel experience for passengers and crews all over Europe."