Unruly behavior incidents have also risen in the polite country.

Two airlines in Japan are armoring themselves against unruly passengers. All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Japan Airlines (JAL) updated their websites with policies on customer harassment after unsavory incidents raised red flags. The joint policy will be used to protect employees from verbal and physical abuse from customers—something that has become common across service industries in Japan.

New Guidelines

In its “Basic Policy on Customer Harassment”, JAL warned that it will not tolerate “any verbal abuse, assault, or nuisance, as we consider such behaviors to be harmful to our staff and will act accordingly to protect the safety of our employees.” ANA similarly said that it wants to ensure that the human rights of employees and customers are respected. 

Examples of inappropriate behaviors include physical violence, property damage, sexual harassment, verbal abuse/yelling, unauthorized access to the workplace, and unreasonable demands. ANA also explicitly mentions voyeurism and stalking in its list.

JAL clarifies that it will train staff members and make prompt judgments according to manuals. It may also collaborate with police or lawyers, and it has established aftercare support for the mental and physical well-being of employees.

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The new guidelines for both airlines state that they will issue warnings to passengers who indulge in problematic behavior and may also deny boarding and call local authorities to deal with the situation.

Unruly Behavior on Rise

Although bad behavior has been making headlines in the U.S. since the pandemic, it is jarring to read reports from a country that’s so well known for politeness and public civility. In January, a passenger bit a flight attendant’s arm on a flight from Tokyo to Seattle. The ANA flight returned to Tokyo after just one hour into its nine-hour journey after the inebriated 55-year-old American was restrained by the crew. Last year, a Japanese woman also faced backlash online when she berated a crewmember on China Airlines for not speaking her native language.

In May, ANA announced that it created an employee manual to handle irrational requests by customers or badgering passengers. Until then, it was left to the discretion of employees, but there was a need to address these concerns. In fiscal year 2023, there were 288 cases of employee harassment, ANA reported. 

Yoshiko Miyashita, chief of ANA’s customer service promotion division, told Nikkei Asia that a lack of clear standards has made it difficult for employees to handle incidents, and this has burdened them.

Airlines in the U.S. are also no stranger to indecent conduct by passengers. So much so that in 2021, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) introduced its zero-tolerance policy against passengers who interfered with the flight crew. After 2020, cases of unruly behavior spiked—mostly due to mask mandates—and the agency had to intervene with higher fines (up to $37,000 per violation) and the threat of jail time. Although cases have since reduced, they are still happening at an alarming rate. From January 1, 2024-June 9, 2024, 915 cases of unruly passengers were reported, the FAA said.

Related: These 6 Incidents of Tourists Behaving Badly Will Make You Furious

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