Threats to passenger flights must carry stiff penalty

Repeated false threats to passenger flights have disrupted travel plans for many, not to mention the economic cost of delayed flights. Those who make such threats must face justice, says an article in Beijing Youth Daily (excerpts below).

False threats to passenger flights can cause huge disruption both to people and airline companies.

Even worse than this is the sheer torment people traveling in an aircraft must feel when they believe that their lives are in imminent danger.

There is no legislation regulating compensation for such situations.

Incredibly, the penalty for making false threats to passenger flights is hardly sufficient. According to the criminal code, those who send false threats face less than five years in prison.

This is a small price to pay for such disruptive behavior.

The penalty should be much stiffer