Taiwan-based airlines have experienced a high number of "abnormal actions" -- ranging from vandalism to safety violations -- by air passengers during flights in the past six years, a report released yesterday by the Flight Safety Foundation-Taiwan said.
The six Taiwan-based airlines recorded a total of 624 abnormal actions by passengers during flights between 2001 and last year, the report said.
Incidence rate
Although the number was only half the figure recorded by airlines in the US during the same period, the incidence rate -- based on the number of departures or flight durations -- was higher than that of the US foundation officials said.
Last year alone, Taiwan airlines recorded a total of 127 abnormal actions by passengers during flights.
That figure accounted for 11.5 percent of all worldwide abnormal in-flight actions, the officials said.
Exit door
The abnormal actions included chanting Buddhist scriptures in a loud voice, attempting to open the exit door while airborne, causing damage to aircraft facilities such as lavatories and credit card readers, breaking glassware, engaging in quarrels with other passengers, complaining loudly to flight attendants about poor service quality and attempting to sleep on the floor of the cabin, the officials said.
However, other abnormal in-flight situations involving passengers such as sickness, injury, use of mobile phones, smoking and excessive drinking have decreased in recent years, the officials said.
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