Flight attendants have every right to enforce safety regulations

Flight attendants are the ultimate authority inside an aircraft’s cabin. They are required to implement safety rules and protocols in addition to ensuring your safety. Flight attendants have every right to implement safety and health protocols in light of the ongoing pandemic and for the sake of safer travel. We have no right to defy them and argue about it.

Flight attendants are protected by a Philippine law

Republic Act No. 9497, Chapter XI Sec. 81 clause 9 states that “Any person who, while on board an aircraft, interferes with a crewmember’s or flight attendant’s performance of their duties, assaults, intimidates, or threatens any crewmember or flight attendant, shall be subjected to imprisonment from one (1) year to three (3) years or a fine of not less than Fifty thousand pesos (Php50,000.00) but not exceeding Five hundred thousand pesos (Php500,000.00), or both, as determined by the court;”

As a result, anyone who interferes or causes trouble while flight attendants perform their mandated duties, which include the implementation of safety rules and protocols, may face criminal charges. Wearing a seatbelt and remaining seated when the fasten seatbelt sign is illuminated, showing a boarding pass to cabin crew when requested, and following other procedures such as opening window shades during takeoff and landing are examples of these.

We can never question the cabin crew when it comes to implementing safety protocols

We have no right to argue with the cabin crew when they implement safety rules and protocols as paying passengers of the airline. To begin with, these are part of their sworn duty as airline cabin crew. They are putting in place critical safety protocols for our own and everyone else’s safety on board. Global aviation safety boards, aircraft manufacturers, and airlines themselves provided and approved these rules and protocols.

Let us all do our part to make flights safer. Always obey your flight attendants because they are there to keep us safe. Please comply if our cabin crew reminds us to put on our seatbelts, raise all window shades, position our seats upright, and so on. You could end up delaying an entire flight and even being offloaded simply for failing to follow a simple safety procedure.

Zero-tolerance policy against unruly passengers

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the United States has begun implementing a “Zero-Tolerance Policy” for unruly airline passengers. These rowdy passengers could face criminal charges and fines ranging from $9,000 to $40,000.

I hope that the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines will follow suit in order to make travel safer. There is no need for new legislation. We simply want RA9497, Chapter XI, Section 81, Clause 9, to be fully implemented.