Airlines’ inflight boozing is just plane bonkers..
I’VE experienced some bumpy flights in my time as a roving reporter.
I’ll fly through some of the worst ones: there was an emergency landing, a plane struck by lightning and a near miss incident at Heathrow that made front-page news.
But the most terrifying experience was when booze went flying in the air because a burly drunk was refused one for the road.
You’re pretty much lost at sea as there are no bouncers up there with you at 30,000 feet.
Some of us passengers had to rugby tackle him when he tried to storm the cockpit.
It’s easy to dismiss it as a one-off incident, but it happens more than you realise.
Arrests at UK airports or flights jumped by 50% within a 12-month period from February 2016 to February 2017 – with 387 detained for bawdy behaviour.
And a further 449 offenders were arrested in the UK between April 2017 and March 2019. One of those was a 50-year-old Northern Irish human rights lawyer named Simone Burns, who sadly took her own life.
She was jailed after a video of her racially abusing the flight crew on a long-haul flight went viral in 2019.
After such a long lockdown, I wouldn’t be surprised if all hell broke loose on a disproportionate number of flights between now and Christmas.
Such incidents rarely happen in the States because there’s a good chance of a Federal Air Marshal being on board.
I’m not suggesting we stick plain clothes gardai on planes.
But maybe they should randomly breathalyse passengers at departure gates.
It wouldn’t be a bad idea if we had a total booze ban at airports and on flights until next year.
Personally, I could never see the attraction of a beer at 6.30am.
It must be as dodgy as a bad pint when even Ryanair has recommended there should be a pre10am alcohol restriction.
I wouldn’t hold my breath about them ever advocating an out-andout booze ban.
Low-cost airlines make huge profits from plying us with drink at marked-up pricing.
Yet, ironically, it is a criminal offence to be drunk on a plane.
We all know it’s a bad idea to drink on an empty stomach, but did you know it’s easier to get p **** d on a flight because of
Some had to rugby tackle him when he tried to storm the cockpit
One day we’ll wonder how alcohol was ever allowed on flights
cabin pressure? Airplanes keep it about 4% less than normal pressure at sea level, which slightly lowers oxygen intake and makes you intoxicated quicker.
In other words, it’s ill-advised to booze in the air.
So why is it so hard for the airline industry to swallow the fact that alcohol should be totally forbidden if they truly want to put safety first?
I even reckon it should be completely prohibited on all planes, trains and automobiles.
I’d only exclude ferries because they have their brigs for troublemakers.
You could argue for a “two-drink limit per passenger” at the airport bars, as once suggested by Ryanair.
It might be workable if operated electronically like with duty free purchases.
But then it’s only fair that airlines should be restricted to the same two drinks limit too.
And what about passengers with connecting flights?
They could get half-sloshed on the first leg of their journey.
And it’s worth pointing out that washing down a Valium with even a single beer mid-flight could result in irrational behaviour and blackouts.
As we do now with cigarettes, we’ll look back one day and wonder how alcohol was ever allowed on flights.
It’s time to call last orders for good before there is a serious tragedy.