Edinburgh Airport flyers face ban or even jail for rowdy behaviour

A campaign to combat rowdy travellers has warned passengers at Edinburgh Airport they could be banned from flying or even jailed.

The terminal at Edinburgh Airport. Credit: Mike Pennington

The One Too Many scheme is reminding passengers they should be travelling responsibly or face serious penalties.

The renewed push comes after a nine-year-old boy was apparently left in tears when a stag party dressed in black PVC S&M outfits became aggressive during a Ryanair flight from Edinburgh to Ibiza.

It was reported that a group of 30 men left passengers terrified with their lewd behaviour as they became increasingly intoxicated.

More than 8,800 flights will travel through UK airspace today as the summer holidays continue. As many as 52,000 will fly out of Edinburgh Airport alone.

Travellers in the capital terminal will see warnings about 'disruptive behaviour' on screens around the site as well as in shops, cafes and bars. Last year a targeted One Too Many social media push reached eight million passengers.

Passengers will be reminded that penalties for raucous conduct range from being denied boarding to fines of up to £80,000 or even jail.

Airports Operators Association boss Karen Dee said: “This weekend will kick start an extremely busy time for airports across the UK. More so than ever airport and airline staff will be prepared to prevent or deal with disruptive incidents.

"There is no place for disruptive behaviour in the aviation sector. Thanks to the One Too Many campaign and airports’ individual action plans, we have already seen signs of declining numbers of disruptive passengers in the most recent data from the Civil Aviation Authority. The entire industry, including the newly joined airports, are committed to acting together to see this decrease even further.”

Francois Bourienne, chairman of the UK Travel Retail Forum added: "Do not be the one to ruin the experience of others, including fellow passengers and staff, in the airport or onboard the flight.”

Penalties for bad behaviour at airports or on board airlines includes up to two years in prison for disrupting a flight, up to £5,000 fine if a flight is delayed and up to £80,000 fine for causing a 'mid-air' incident.