Turkish holidaymakers to be fined $70 for standing while plane lands

Turkey has told passengers to stay buckled up in planes until it is time to disembark and has begun imposing fines to stamp out the scramble for the exit the moment an aircraft arrives at its destination.

The regulation could result in a fine of about $70 for those caught. If the plan works, it will save cabin crew the customary hassle of demanding in vain that passengers stay seated while the plane lands and taxis to the terminal.

Other airlines in the region may follow suit. Impatient passengers often stand up, reach for their bags and queue in the aisles, sometimes for long periods, as if to hasten the crew to open the doors.

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According to Turkey’s civil aviation authority, airlines will 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.

“According to the regulation, airlines are obliged to remind passengers to fasten their seatbelts 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,” the German DPA news agency reported.

The practice of standing up immediately irritates some passengers, who question the logic of queueing in an aisle rather than waiting until it is one’s turn to leave and then retrieving one’s bag. On a discussion on Reddit, people said they stood up to relieve cramp after a long flight, or simply could not wait to disembark.

“I aspire to do this [stay seated] and normally try to, but sometimes my ADHD gets the better of me and after sitting still for many hours I am about to explode if I stay in my seat another second,” wrote one person.

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Turkey is among the top ten most visited countries, attracting tens of millions of tourists each year who visit its historic sites — or its flourishing hair transplant and cosmetic clinics, which offer travellers cheaper treatments than found in Britain and other western countries.

The country’s flagship carrier, Turkish Airlines, flies to 131 countries and competes with other regional airlines such as Emirates and Qatar Airways, which have built themselves a reputation for more luxurious offerings in business and first class.