Passengers dashing for doors before aircraft stops moving after landing may face fine

Holidaymakers too eager to get off the plane in Turkey will now face fines for standing up when the aircraft is still moving.

Travellers caught rising into the aisle before their row is ready to disembark may have to pay $70 (£52) to authorities in Turkey.

Turkey’s civil aviation authority hopes to stop impatient passengers dashing for the doors before the aircraft is stationary.

“According to the regulation, airlines are obliged to remind passengers to fasten their seat belts during and after landing until they reach the parking position and to explicitly point out that any infringement will be reported to the aviation authority and a fine will be imposed,” reported the German DPA news agency.

That means staying seated after the plane lands and taxis to the terminal.

Turkish Airlines, the country's flagship carrier, flies routes to 131 countries, with other regional airlines, including Emirates and Qatar Airways, reportedly considering implementing the stay-seated rule.

Rushing to get off the plane isn’t the only bad habit airlines see from flyers.

Airlines are now making moves to crack down on “gate lice” – those who hover by the desk with their hand luggage in a bid to board first.

It proposed that airlines announce to passengers that they must remain seated, even after the seatbelt sign has gone off until it is their turn to leave the aircraft.

Passengers regularly immediately unbuckle on landing and queue down the aisle in a bid to be the first to baggage claim.

American Airlines is one airline trialling new technology to enforce boarding groups and cut queue jumping at the gate.

In trials at Albuquerque, Tucson and Washington airports, passengers scanning their boarding passes before their group number was called were met with an alarm sound.

The computer will also display an alert message for gate agents, who can then instruct pushy passengers to stand aside.

American Airlines said the move was intended to “improve the boarding experience” and “ensure customers receive the benefits of priority boarding”.

The Independent