Aeroplane passengers should be restricted to two drinks at airports, Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary has said.
Mr O’Leary said introducing alcohol limits at airports would help tackle a rise in disorder on flights.
Violent outbursts are occurring weekly due to alcohol, he said, especially when it is mixed with other substances.
“We don’t want to begrudge people having a drink,” he told the Daily Telegraph.
“But we don’t allow people to drink-drive, yet we keep putting them up in aircraft at 33,000ft.”
I get that Lemmy’s kneejerk reaction is naturally that the big corporation’s CEO is wrong and evil (he IS an asshole, at least), but drunk passengers on planes is an actual issue.
I have a couple of close relatives who’ve worked as air hostesses for Ryanair for years, and they mostly like the job except for summer flights from a specific European island country in which there’s a big tradition of drinking a lot and big groups of men doing “guy trips” to my country either for specific football games or for the beaches. These usually involve an almost permanent state of drunkenness, getting into fights with locals, trashing places.
O’Leary’s claim about inebriated people being hard to identify is partly bullshit from what my relatives tell me - they say that even when they can notice these groups are already drunk when boarding, Ryanair’s staff isn’t really comfortable policy wise in preventing them from boarding. Plane staff may refuse them alcohol on board but by then they’re usually already in a state of general lack of control. I assume the company doesn’t want to strenghten boarding rules in order not to lose these groups as customers, and staff gets shafted in the process. But these people shouldn’t be getting this drunk on a plane (or in general).
I was going to say that this sounds like a very UK specific issue.
So maybe should just get comfortable policy-wise with turning away passengers fucked in passengers at the gate.
A two drink maximum doesn’t stop me from snorting a fistful of ket in the cab, getting 1-2 drinks after security, then going ballistic during the flight. Getting turned away at the gate because I’m obviously kholed does stop me though.
The thing that works the best might cost Ryanair some money though, and we obviously can’t have that, won’t someone please think of the profits?
Maybe you’re right. But hand waving the problem away with a knee jerk comment about how this is just a greedy CEO making up a problem that doesn’t actually exist doesn’t really add much to the discussion, and that was what my comment was addressing - the many comments pretending people flying drunk isn’t an actual issue but instead an excuse to justify Ryanair’s other shenanigans.
I never really understood why bars are so popular in airports.
Why anyone would want to get heavily drunk before flying is beyond me.
I can maybe see this being a thing way back during the prop days when engines were ridiculously loud and travel was very tiring, but those days have been long.
If you’re really that bored even with access to modern technology, you’re probably better off taking a sleeping pill.
Yeah, I used to drink a lot but getting loaded before a flight just makes the whole ordeal so much less tolerable.
Yup. Getting drunk ON a plane is great. Getting drunk BEFORE a plane is no bueno.
As with any drinking occasion the trick is to hot that goldilocks zone where you are just drunk enough to enjoy yourself and then fall asleep in a few hours, but not so drunk you become belligerent and wake up feeling like shit
This is the take i understand the least that I’ve seen on Lemmy, airport bars are amongst the funnest places to drink, folks are either in vacation or work trip mode so for the most part everyone is loose and chill, nobody has to drive after, and as soon as I board and get to my seat I can instantly take a nap. I love an airport bar and I’ve had a bunch of really fun chats in them when I used to travel for work constantly
I think drinking at airport bars can be fun. Everyone is on their way to somewhere else, no one is driving, so it can be really fun and chummy. Been drinking at an airport bar where a guy was buying everyone free rounds until the first person left for a flight. Pretty hilarious when a whole bar loudly booed a guy hustling off to his flight. 🤣
Airport bars are crazy expensive too
People are angry because of how absolutely shitty and evil ryan air is when they are abusing and stressing up their passengers with all their bullshit.
Otherwise airports are super calm (in the EU anyways).
Not in the US. I’d be fine with it but I don’t know how they’d enforce it. Most of the rowdy people would just get their friends to buy them drinks, or hop from bar to bar at the airport. I doubt they’d make people take a breathalyzer before serving them.
Neither but here while there isn’t a ‘limit’ the flights only stock a set amount and flight crew can cut you off when they think you’ve had enough. I don’t think they give a shit if people manage to get drunk. I think largely the point is not having visibly drunk/disruptive people on planes or in airports. Which I kinda can understand.
In EU they will not sell you almost anything already if you don’t show your boarding pass. It is very easy to keep a drink counter per passenger.
I don’t think I’ve ever experienced this while flying in the EU, and I’ve done my fair share of it, living here and all.
Where? I have never experienced this before.
Schiphol in the Netherlands, Milan and Rome in Italy, also in some airport in London as I recall.
But thinking about it, some things like food and water at the food court I might have never been asked.
Oh well.
You only have to show your boarding pass for the tax breaks that come with traveling internationally.
I dunno…maybe get people through the fucking airport before they can get that drunk
This could potentially make the problem worse.
I could see people “pre-gaming” before they get to the airport. And if there is one thing I learned in college is that alcoholics pre-gaming can be a very dangerous thing
Outright prohibition never works. They have to get a lot more clever to work against addiction.
Year, maybe Ryan Air could do with a one-drink-per-seat limit, as the main issue is usually the passengers that get drunk ON the flight. Worst flights have been from the UK, Ireland and from Poland. Maybe Ryan Air could stop serving alcohol ON these flights?
Jokes aside, stop flying Ryan Air.
I saw “2 drink limit” and my stupid brain was like “how does this guy think a 2 drink minimum supposed to improve anything?”
Derp.
How about two drinks, plus a free drink from the airline you’re flying per half hour delayed? Seems more reasonable.
What if we made airports less shit, so people weren’t spending so much time there, so people weren’t as stressed about missing their flights.
I have never been stressed to get on a bus, you roll up, put your shit in it, and get on. No massive waits, no massive security line, just get on and the bus leaves. We should make airports more like this.
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are you actually comparing an international flight with your local bus
Local flights have the same issues.
they truly do want to get you through the airport and to your destination as soon as possible, it would be more profitable for them
The airlines don’t run airports. Much of the slowdowns and hassles that occur there are caused by TSA security theater.
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That’s how it worked for decades before 9/11.
Yep! And the vast majority of the TSA changes since then don’t actually accomplish anything. There is a reason I continue using the phrase security theater.
Thousands Standing Around
Air travel is an infinitely more complex and involved problem to solve. There is no method of safely flying without going through mountains of bullshit first.
Much of the problem is related to TSA security theater. Cutting down on that alone would go a long way to improving the airport experience.
TSA (obviously) isn’t a thing outside of the US. Airport security does suck, but it’s nowhere near as bad as it is when flying to America.
If flying during a quiet period, with all the right checks and few queues you can get through security in 5 mins. When it really fucking sucks is when it’s busy, something airports should be able to deal with easily.
I’ve never had an issue with a non-torch zippo lighter when going through TSA checks. Ive never had an issue with a zippo while going through airport security checks in Japan. I’ve had non-torch zippos confiscated while going through all the following airports: LHR, CDG, FRA, HAM, BCN, MAD.
Most airport security is theater sure, but the most egregious theatrics haven’t been from the TSA in my experience.
Return to trains!
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People get pissed at airports because they’re on holiday mode with their mates, it’s part of the holiday to have some beers at the airport. It’s these kind of passengers that will be the issue, it’s nothing to do with the design of the airport.
They have alcohol at airports? That’s so weird.
what else are you going to do while you wait for a 3 AM flight
The last time I flew, my flight was delayed 4 hours. 2 drinks per hour wouldn’t even put someone my size over the limit to operate a motor vehicle.
Fuck this guy.
People metabolize approximately 1 drink per hour. 8 drinks over 4 hours should still leave you pretty damn tipsy.
That’s a good rough estimate, but doesn’t account for varying factors, like gender and weight. It also makes assumptions about the alcohol content in your drinks.
For example, the usual BAC calculator assumes 1 serving is 0.6oz worth of straight alcohol. That equates to 1.5oz of 40% liquor, a 12oz beer that’s at 5%, or a 5oz glass of wine that’s at only 12%. So at my weight, two servings over an hour puts my BAC at just 0.03, which is under the limit to operate motor vehicles in many countries. To be clear, I NEVER drink and drive, even after just one drink. But I’m this hypothetical scenario, I’m quietly sitting down in a plane seat, not operating machinery.
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Ryan Air: No, it’s the airports that are wrong.
Problem: Airports have multiple bars and lounges. There’s no way to enforce that limit.
You could tie it to your ticket like a punch card. When the bar does the standard Id check they’d also check your boarding pass and check if the name is the same then mark it / digitally update it. Even if they don’t do a limit at the airport it would still be good to let the attendants on the flight know “alright this guy’s already had 5 beers, don’t serve him anything on the flight”
You’d need every airport to be in on the same system… otherwise you’ll end up with 2 drinks at phx, 2 drinks at atl, and 2 drinks at jfk.
Consider how long it takes to fly between each of those airports. I’ll be completely sober by landing, and ready for another couple rounds considering I’ve got two fucking layovers.
Sounds like you’re exactly the person that needs this policy then.
Well, at least you’re forcing people to pace themselves.
Eh if it’s 20 minutes flights it might not be enough for those who magically can’t control themselves while drunk.
Just another policy that would hurt people who can actually exert some form of control over themself.
My dude, have you ever been on a flight that’s only 20 minutes?
I haven’t even gone throufh an airport terminal in only 20 minutes.
My dude, have you ever been on a flight that’s only 20 minutes?
yes.
I haven’t even gone throufh an airport terminal in only 20 minutes.
Good thing I said nothing about time in the terminal and was only talking about flights.
When the Irish are telling you to cut down on the drinking, it might be time to cut down on the drinking.
Reading the article, I see why this is a problem to be addressed. At the same time, I’m not sure how in the world you would directly “fix” this other than outright banning unruly customers after they cause problems.
The best course of action might be to quietly work with restaurant managers in major airports to start watering down mixed drinks, and serve lower-gravity beer and wine, on heavy travel days. I’m mostly sure this is how amusement parks operate; they just need to consult with Disney or SixFlags on this one. The threat of airlines (or the airport) banning heavy restaurant customers might be motivation enough. That way, restaurants make more money, airlines have (maybe) less nonsense to deal with, and there’s no documented limit on beverages.
