How to deal with drunk passengers? Simple, don’t let them fly

Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary has once again thrown the cat among the pigeons as he is wont to do. There’s no such thing as bad publicity they say, and the Ryanair man certainly knows how to create a headline.

He caused a stir recently when he suggested that there should be a limit on the amount of alcohol consumed by intending passengers in airports to reduce the disorder on flights. Mr. O’Leary said passengers should be restricted to two drinks per journey to curb what he says is an increase in antisocial behaviour and violence.

He doesn’t specify how many drinks should be made available to his passengers once they’re aboard the Ryanair plane though, but he did complain that violent outbursts were occurring weekly with alcohol and in his opinion, it was difficult for airlines to identify inebriated people at the gate, especially when boarding in a group.

They don’t seem to have a problem identifying an oversize cabin bag though whether part of a group or individually, but that’s another story.

Mr. O’Leary continued, “As long as they can stand up and shuffle, they will get through. Then when the plane takes off, we see the misbehaviour.”

 The airlines can’t absolve themselves of responsibility as easily as that though. The rules are clear according to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Whether deliberate or not, it is a criminal offence to be drunk on an aircraft. In fact, the act carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

As well as that, passengers can only drink alcohol provided by the airline on the flight. You can bring duty free drinks on to the plane but cannot drink them on board.

Disruptive passengers may also be asked to reimburse the airline with the cost of a diversion which typically range from £10,000 – £80,000 depending on the size of the aircraft and where it diverts to, but I don’t know if this is enforced.

A few months ago, I wrote about an incident I encountered while travelling through Gatwick Airport in London. I called into a bar/restaurant for some breakfast at about 9.30am and the place was busy. There were six guys in their mid to late twenties sitting at a table and the drink was flowing.

They were extremely loud. They were playing drinking games while noisily cheering and roaring each other on. Their behaviour was way over the top and I wondered about the condition these guys would in by the time they were due to board.

I expected a member of staff to approach them and advise them to calm down. I was there for about 45 miniutes and I didn’t see that happen, but they were served with more alcohol when it was obvious they had enough. Surely the bar staff have a responsibility there.

And what about the responsibility of airline staff? Drunk passengers must present their passport and boarding pass at the boarding gate. Should staff there assess the condition of drunk passengers and question their fitness to travel?

Disruptive passengers don’t just suddenly get drunk as they approach the boarding gate. It’s also highly unlikely that the first time their behaviour becomes unruly or noticeable is when they take their seat on the plane. From my experience, you can spot these characters a mile off and well before they need to start thinking about getting on the plane.

The guys I saw in Gatwick Airport, were worse for wear long before their flight and should have been identified before they got into that state. An early word of advice might prevent further carnage. If my guys had been approached by security or by some other official and advised that their behaviour was being monitored and could result in them missing their flight, it might have had an impact.

Similarly, people approaching the boarding gate in a drunken state should be refused further progress.

I was on an Easyjet flight last week out of London Gatwick and across the aisle from me were two guys, mid-thirties, drinking small bottles of spirits. They were acting immaturely and spilled a drink over the other chap in the window seat beside them. They weren’t out of control, but they were messy. They were buying double measures and whenever they asked for more alcohol they were given it, no questions asked.

Further up the plane there were two females, late thirties/early forties. I spotted them earlier and they looked tired and emotional as they say, and about forty-five minutes out of Larnaca Airport there was a bit of disruption. The women were being called out by other passengers sitting nearby for vaping.

This led to some heated exchanges between the passengers and when the cabin crew got involved, they got some verbal abuse for their trouble. When we landed, we were instructed by the captain to remain in our seats as the police would be boarding the plane.

The two women were waving to everyone as they were escorted off the aircraft and they didn’t seem the least bit remorseful. Meanwhile the rest of us were stuck in our seats until their foolishness played out.

Our flight was an hour late already and this latest incident delayed us further while people waited in the arrivals hall to collect friends and relatives. It’s easy to identify drunk passengers before boarding and the airline has a legal obligation at that stage to send them packing. If drunk passengers were refused entry more often, it would reduce the amount of disruption, delays, diversions and bad behaviour.

So maybe the authorities should start enforcing the legislation that already exists for dealing with drunks which would make life more comfortable for everyone concerned and would be a lot easier to enforce than trying to marshal a two-drink rule.