Pay Up, Passengers? Airports to Fine Unruly Flyers

Caroline Morse Teel is the Managing Editor for SmarterTravel Media. Follow her on Instagram @TravelWithCaroline.

Caroline joined Boston-based SmarterTravel in 2011 after living in Ireland, London, and Manhattan. She's traveled to all seven continents, jumped out of planes, and bungeed off bridges in the pursuit of a good story. She loves exploring off-the-beaten path destinations, anything outdoorsy, and all things adventure.

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Feeling feisty? Better keep it to yourself if you’re flying out of Newark, JFK, or LaGuardia. According to the NY Daily News, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is considering fining flyers for bad behavior.

So if you’re asked to sit down, turn off your electronic devices, or just to be quiet—you better comply, because if you delay a flight, you’re paying for it.

The fines could potentially reach thousands of dollars, which is how much delays cost airlines in the first place. We wonder, though, how the fines will be levied. Pat Foye, executive director of the Port Authority, told the NY Daily News that “fines would be targeted primarily at repeat offenders and egregious behavior that causes lengthy delays.” Will a flight attendant be able to fine a passenger with a screaming baby? What if you’re held up in security and they’re holding the plane for you—must you pay?

On the other hand, the NY Daily News also reports that Port Authority police responded to around 400 calls last year at New York City-area airports for passengers who refused to turn off electronic devices. (And that number doesn’t even include all the incidents that didn’t involve police.) Seriously people, Words with Friends can wait. Put down the iPhone!

What do you think? Should passengers who cause delays be fined, and how much? Tell us in the comments.

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