Originally Posted by
PineappleFrenzy
From the CBC story, there are yet more reports of passengers trying to retrieve their carry-on items during an evacuation. I'm sorry folks. I know there are few practical ways to prevent unhelpful passenger behaviour. But stories like this infuriate me.
Transport Canada and airlines really need to do a better job emphasizing and enforcing fundamental standards of passenger behaviour. I think it's time for the public to wake up and recognize that everyone on board an airplane has responsibilities---including passengers.
If it were up to me, everyone witnessed trying to retrieve their bags during an evacuation would be charged under section 7.41(1)(c) of the Aeronautics Act:
I completely agree with you about the need to prioritize the preservation of life over the preservation of baggage.
However, the problem of applying 7.41(1)(c) seems to me (and I am not a lawyer) to be that in all these cases the aircraft is not
in flight, its firmly on the ground and stationary,so that the regulation does not apply.
7.41 (1) No person shall engage in any behaviour that endangers the safety or security of an aircraft in flight or of persons on board an aircraft in flight by intentionally: .......
My emphasis on
in flight.
Question for the legal experts:
(a) Are there laws which inhibit passengers in any public conveyance from actions which endanger the lives of other passengers (regardless of whether the action is to preserve baggage), and
(b) If so, would the applicable law be that of the country of registration of the aircraft, or be that of the country of location of the action?