It happens like clockwork every time. You’ve just landed, and the flight attendant gives the usual safety announcement reminding passengers to keep their seatbelts fastened until they get to the gate and shut down the engines.
As your airplane makes that final turn, you hear the sound of seatbelts unbuckling, well before the aircraft comes to a complete stop. It has become such a common practice that a few brave passengers are now going as far as standing up mid-taxi to retrieve their bags from the overhead bins in the hopes of dashing to the front once that bell chimes.
Unfortunately, these one or two occasions are slowly turning into a trend as more and more passengers disregard the safety briefing in the name of trying to get to the front of the aircraft as quickly as possible.
Turkey is now fighting back by implementing a policy which will penalize passengers who do this of any flight operating within Turkish airspace. In a circular issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation of Turkey, authorities are targeting two groups of troublemakers, including those who smoke on board aircraft, as well as those who get up before the aircraft is parked and the seatbelt signs are turned off.
Here is the full translated statement:
The “Passenger Announcements Circular” No. UOD – 2025/01, prepared to revise and promptly implement standard, up-to-date announcements with the aim of warning passengers who smoke or use tobacco products on board, as well as those who stand up and disrupt order before the aircraft reaches its parking position and before the seatbelt signs are turned off, in order to discipline such passengers and raise awareness among all passengers, was approved by the Directorate General and entered into force on 02.05.2025.
Passengers caught violating these guidelines will be subject to a fine of 2,603 Turkish liras (about US $67, €60 or £50).
Airlines operating in Turkey have also been tasked with updating their landing safety briefing to warn passengers about getting up from their seats before it is safe to do so. Airlines found not in compliance with this new requirement will be subjected to prosecution under administrative law.
Even though the fine is a step in the right direction, it simply is not enough to deter troublesome passengers from taking a second chance in the future. Maybe they should follow in Ryanair’s footsteps, bumping up those charges to the tune of a few thousand dollars. I’m sure the impatient will suddenly make peace with the fact that they have to wait just like everyone else.
