Most airline passengers have witnessed a case of so-called “aisle lice” on board their plane.
These fliers are the ones who unbuckle their seat belts, stand up, and push into the aircraft aisle before it's their row’s turn to exit the plane, usually preventing travelers in rows ahead from deplaning in the process.
Aisle lice usually elicit chagrined murmurs and frustrated eye rolls from fellow passengers, but one country has rolled out much stricter consequences for these annoying fliers. Turkey has recently begun fining airline passengers who attempt to exit the aircraft before its their turn to deplane.
According to a new official bulletin from Turkey’s Director General of Civil Aviation, passengers who stand up or enter the plane’s aisle after the aircraft stops but before the deplaning process reaches their row could now face a significant fine.
The bulletin advises Turkey’s airlines to have their cabin crews make a new announcement upon landing that warns passengers about the potential fine.
“After the aircraft reaches the parking position and the seatbelt sign is turned off, please respect the disembarkation priority of the passengers in front of or around you and wait for your turn,” says a sample cabin crew announcement included in the official bulletin. “Do not stand up or proceed in the aisle before it is your turn to exit. Passengers who do not comply with the rules will be reported to the Director General of Civil Aviation through a Disruptive Passenger Report, and an administrative fine will be imposed.”
Although the bulletin doesn’t mention how much the fine will be, Turkish news outlet Halk TV reported that aisle lice could be fined 2,603 Turkish lira, or nearly $67. The new rules follow a “serious increase” of passenger complaints on the matter, according to the Director General.
Passengers trying to sneak ahead are generally seen as a scourge both onboard planes and at the airport. Inside the airport, similar annoyances are caused by so-called “gate lice” who attempt to board planes ahead of their assigned group number.
American Airlines was lauded by passengers when it began to roll out technology to stop gate lice from boarding early in late 2024. The new equipment won’t accept a boarding pass before its assigned group is called—and even makes an audible noise as it rejects the boarding pass, much to the satisfaction of orderly fliers everywhere.
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