Ryanair has found a new battleground with airports: the sale of alcohol.
The Irish airline wants to encourage airport shops to limit the sale of alcoholic beverages on their premises.
Ryanair’s suggestions include refusing to sell alcohol before 10am, and limiting consumption to a maximum of 2 drinks per person.
It’s an astonishing idea, but it has its origins in a mishap that befell Ryanair last week.
One of the airline’s flights to Ibiza was forced to divert to Paris, due to the unruly behavior of drunken, unruly passengers.
Young, party-going Irish passengers who had obviously taken advantage of their waiting time at Dublin airport to have a few drinks.
This situation has clearly affected Ryanair’s management, who are keen to raise awareness of alcohol use at airports.
“Alcoholic passengers can present a real danger to flight safety. It’s important to implement a zero-tolerance policy to avoid this kind of disruption.“A Ryanair spokesman was quoted as saying.
“Of course, we also sell alcohol during our flights, but we practice a policy of vigilance on board our aircraft.
Cabin crew are perfectly capable of knowing whether to refuse to sell alcohol to already tipsy passengers.“said a Ryanair spokesman at the time.
Ryanair added that the amount of alcohol it sold on board was tiny compared with the other drinks sold during their journeys, preferring to point the finger at airport officials.
In response to these accusations, a Dublin airport spokesman said that Ryanair’s recommendations were too draconian, and would unfairly affect all passengers,
due to a small minority of alcoholic travelers.
So it looks like the battle is just beginning. Knowing the enthusiasm and personality of Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary, it’s a safe bet that the Irish airline won’t stop there!
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