| You are warned. Fly but don't
get drunk, says Minister.
There is an
issue with the number of drunken passengers on Air
Mauritius flights, says the Minister of Tourism and External
Communication, Mr. Xavier Luc Duval. They cause problems to other
passengers and staff and now Government wants to put into place
preventive measures. We intend to have a law that will allow us to
prosecute disruptive passengers once they land, he adds.
However,
he says: We will not ban drinking on our flights; we do not
want to change the customer s experience. Why should we penalize the
majority of well-behaved passengers because of a drunken few? The
proposed Civil Aviation (Hijacking and other Offences) (Amendment)
Bill, under section 5A reads as follows: Any person who, on board an
Aircraft flight (a) intimidates or threatens a crew member, whether
physically or verbally, or uses abusive language against him, or
lessens the ability of a crew member to perform his duties; (b)
obstructs or hinders a crew member in the performance of his duties;
(c) willfully refuses to follow a lawful instruction given by the
aircraft commander, or on behalf of the aircraft commander by a crew
member, for the purpose of ensuring the safety of the aircraft or of
any person or property on board, or for the purpose of maintaining good
order and discipline on board, shall commit an offence.
(2) Any person
who, on board an Air Mauritius in flight (a) intimidates
or threatens, whether physically or verbally another person or uses
abusive language against another person; (b) willfully damages or
destroys property not belonging to him;(c) is under the influence of an
intoxicating drink (i.e. alcohol) or of a drug to such extent as to be
incapable of behaving properly, shall commit an offence. One tour
Operator believes that the new legislation would be a step towards the
right direction. This is an excellent initiative. The Bill would bring
Mauritius in line with other countries, which have laws that offer
protection on flights. It is important that at a time when we expect a
rise in the volume of tourists, we can assure flight staff a safe
working environment.
The president
of the Association of Travel Agencies, Mr. Willy Cheung
said: It is a good piece of legislation that will act as a deterrent.
It will protect the cabin crews, and the passengers too. One steward
said: This new legislation was long overdue. Flight crews have had
enough with drunken passengers. They think that we are here to put up
with their abuse and ill manners. Not only do they make our job tougher
but also they spoil the mood of other passengers. I applaud the
Government for this initiative. An airhostess said: Dealing with
drunken passengers is a cabin crew s worst nightmare. We must be very
initiative to find a diplomatic ways to ask them to stop drinking. We
have received training to deal with this issue, but I must confess, it
can get quite tiring.
http://mauritravel.com
By: Andre Lee
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