All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines have jointly released new guidelines to combat harassment and abuse by passengers. They've categorized nine types of unacceptable behavior in order to protect employees.
(Miyashita Yoshiko / All Nippon Airways) “In some cases, employees face extreme stress and then take long medical leave or even quit.”
(Kamitsuji Rika / Japan Airlines) “Some customers have demanded employees kneel down and apologize. In other cases, these passengers occupy staff for long periods.”
Japan's two biggest airlines released the guidelines on Friday. The nine categories of customer harassment include physical assault, verbal abuse, and unreasonable demands. The carriers say such behavior violates the human rights of staff members and prevents them from doing their job. ANA and JAL officials said they will strictly respond to reports of harassment, including informing the police. The companies together received around 600 reports of harassment by customers last fiscal year.
◆combat 戦う、(問題などに)立ち向かう、対抗する
◆assault 暴力、攻撃