Tuesday, 27 December 2016

Following Richard Marx Heroics, Airline Eases Restrictions On Using Tasers On Unruly Passengers

A week after singer Richard Marx criticized Korean Air crew members as being “ill-equipped” to deal with unruly passengers after he helped subdue a fellow traveler on a flight from Vietnam to South Korea, the carrier say it will better train employees and allow them to use stun guns to manage in-flight disturbances. 

Reuters reports that Korean Air will ease the conditions under which crew members can use Taser devices to deal with potentially dangerous passengers.

While a rep for the company didn’t elaborate on just how the company would change its policy, it said that the more in-depth security training will alleviate crew members’ concerns of when it is appropriate to use the stun guns.

The company said that employees have been hesitant to use Tasers because the devices were to be deployed in “grave” situations.”

“We have decided to improve our conditions and procedure on using Taser guns to cope with violent acts and disturbances on board in a fast and efficient manner,” Korean Air said in a statement, adding that the unspecified changes would allow the crew to “readily use stun guns.”

Following last week’s incident, Marx took the airline crew members to task on Instagram saying that they “didn’t know how to use the Taser and didn’t know how to secure the rope around [the passenger].”

The altercation is the latest in a long line of disruptions to occur in-flight, some of which have resulted in carriers banning passengers. This year alone, there have been more than 10,800 air rage incidents around the world.

While these issues can be scary for passengers, some analysts believe the could lead to positive change in the long run.


by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist

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