Thomas Cook have actually produced a 10 commandments for pax !!
Press Release from end of August below...
With the peak holiday season in full flow, a top charter airline has issued a Ten Commandments for Passengers. The tongue-in-cheek edict on good travel behaviour from Thomas Cook Airlines (UK) deals with everything from checking-in to conduct on board the aircraft.
And even though the “Commandments” are light-hearted, Thomas Cook stresses there is a serious message behind them.
“The vast majority of our passengers make our job a pleasure,” said Airline Managing Director Glen Chipp. “But a small minority do create difficulties for themselves and sometimes for other passengers.
“The Commandments are just a way of drawing attention to how people can best ensure a smooth journey to and from their holiday destination.”
THE THOMAS COOK AIRLINES’ 10 COMMANDMENTS:
1. Thou shalt give thyself plenty of time to arrive at the airport.
Says Joanna Wild, Head of Service Delivery at Thomas Cook Airlines: “This one is just common sense. But people often misjudge how long it will take them to park, or they do not build in additional time for delays en route to the airport.
“We do try to accommodate people wherever possible and will rush them to the gate if there’s still a chance they can board.”
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2. Thou shalt arrive at the check-in desk with tickets, passports and other paperwork in good order.
“We’ve had a surprising number of incidents recently of passports which have gone through the washing machine and are not completely legible. Another favourite is ladies who spill nail varnish remover on their passport when they are doing their nails as a last job before leaving for the airport.
“We also had a case last week of a brand new passport which had been thoroughly chewed by a family’s pet German Shepherd dog. Then there was the man who brought a passport which expired in 1983 – he didn’t realise passports had to be renewed.
“In many of these cases, the person was unable to travel. We do Telex the destination airport to explain the situation and sometimes they will accept a damaged passport depending on the level of legibility. “
3. Thou shalt not make flippant remarks about having a gun or a bomb in thy luggage.
“This is a particularly serious one and surprisingly it’s not that uncommon – we had eight cases in June. What usually happens is that people are over-excited about going on holiday and joke to our check-in staff that they have a gun, a bomb or some other explosive device in their luggage.
“Since September 11, Thomas Cook has had a zero tolerance policy towards such remarks. We will ask people to repeat what they have said and if they do so, their luggage is taken for X-ray and they are not allowed to travel.
“It’s a great pity that what people mean as a joke – albeit a rather ill-conceived one – results in them not being able to travel. But we are not prepared to take any chances.”
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4. Thou shalt tell the check-in staff about anything unusual in thy luggage which may cause concern.
“We’re used to people packing everything bar the kitchen sink, but people should remember that their suitcases will be X-rayed and they should draw our attention to anything which they are unsure about taking.
“For instance a few days ago a lady had packed a large bag of fertiliser to put on the tomatoes at her villa in Portugal. She had the sense to warn us about this. Unfortunately it had to be confiscated as fertiliser can be used in bomb-making.”
5. Thou shalt not carry any sharp implements in hand baggage or in thy pockets.
“The message on this seems to have hit home and we are getting far fewer cases of people having scissors or nail files on them. But those who do need to bear in mind we have no means of enabling them to reclaim confiscated articles.”
6. Thou shalt not steal goods from airport shops.
“This is obviously breaking the law in any case. But people who are tempted should realise that they are very likely to be spotted on CCTV and will be arrested at the gate before they board the flight.
“We have noticed an increase in this type of incident this summer. It’s doubly unpleasant because as well as identifying a thief, we also have to arrange for that person’s baggage to be unloaded from the aircraft. This can cause a delay which affects the rest of the passengers.”
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7. Thou shalt not be late at the departure gate
“This is a common – and often understandable – problem. We generally advise people to get to the gate at around 45 minutes before departure. But they can be late for a whole host of reasons…they may have been drinking or been too involved in shopping. Or they may have got confused or lost in a large and busy airport. Sometimes, particularly in the case of elderly passengers, they may not hear our last call announcements.
“Many people underestimate how long it can take them to walk to the gate. In Manchester and Gatwick we can be talking long distances which can take up to 20 minutes to cover.
“Once it gets to 15 minutes before scheduled departure we start trying to identify a late passenger’s baggage in the hold. We hang on as long as possible – but we won’t miss our take-off slot.”
8. Thou shalt behave in a sensible and sober manner at the gate
“This is when people who have been drinking too much and become noisy or abusive can be excluded from the flight. It’s also an occasion to once again make sure you don’t make any flippant remarks about guns or bombs.
“We had a lady recently who wanted to retrieve a novel from her suitcase which was in the hold so she could read it on the flight. When we explained that we were unable to allow this she told us we better had as there was a bomb in the case. The lady did get her case…she reclaimed it after it was X-rayed - and she was not allowed to travel.”
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9. Thou shalt pre-warn the airline if thou art exceptionally nervous about flying.
“We will bend over backwards to help nervous passengers. If they tell us in advance that they have this problem we are able to help more. We can seat them before or after everybody else and we can make sure the Captain and crew can talk to them to reassure them.
“It’s very sad but sometimes we do have cases where people have saved up all year but at the last minute are unable to board to the aircraft to go and enjoy their holiday.”
10. Once on board the aircraft thou shalt behave with consideration to fellow passengers and crew – and stick to the rules of the airline
“The good news is that air rage is nothing like as common as it was relatively recently. All the publicity seems to have had the desired effect.
“Even so, there are still problems. More serious on-board incidents have to be reported to the CAA and in a 12-month period to March this year, we had 32 cases of passengers who created a significant nuisance. Many of these were people smoking and who refused to put out cigarettes. Others were passengers who became noisy or abusive because of too much alcohol.
“In particularly bad incidents we radio ahead to the destination airport and police will meet the flight – and we may also refuse to carry that passenger on a return flight.”