The air rage of Chinese passengers that had made headlines appear to have no end. Another incident of plane emergency door opening happened on Monday, two days after a Chinese traveler did the same mischief and placed the lives of fellow passengers at risk.

To put a stop to such incidents, editorials in Chinese newspapers have called for tougher punishments because the current regime is considered too weak. The dailies called for higher penalties and even prison terms for Chinese who disrupt travel.

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In the U.S., opening emergency doors carries a penalty of up to $60,000 and jail term of 20 years, and it is considered a federal charge of damaging a jet and interfering with the flight personnel.

In contrast, the Chinese man who flew from Lhasa and opened the emergency door of an aircraft that landed on Monday on Chongqing, and was taxiing toward a gate at the Jiangbei Airport, would likely be fined only $16,000 or 100,000 remminbi to compensate the air carrier, West Air, for the damaged exit and the passenger who were delayed by his action.

The air rage incidents are seen as reaction of Chinese passengers frustrated with flight delays, which are considered normal for local air carriers, but one of the worst on-time-performance records in global aviation.

These delays result in compensation to passengers, which Chinese newspapers believe is an indirect cause of unruly behavior, according to Xinhua. Other dailies pushed for a zero tolerance policy on disruptive behavior.

Legal Daily, a newspaper published by China's Ministry of Justice, summed it up in this statement: "In an era of rule of law, the key to protecting emergency exits is firmly enforcing the law and carrying out punishments."

TagsAir rage, Chinese passenger