Why allow unrestricted alcohol consumption in airports? This is the question recently raised by the well-known Irish airline Ryanair. Often facing issues with intoxicated passengers, the company aims to better control the condition of its travelers before boarding.
Ryanair Urges Better Regulation of Alcohol Sales in Airports
Fights, passenger harassment, equipment damage… Unfortunately, these behaviors have been on the rise in airplanes worldwide over the past few years.
And Ryanair is determined to put an end to it.
Last year, the low-cost carrier faced a dangerous incident: a heavily intoxicated passenger forced the crew to divert their Dublin-Lanzarote flight. His behavior, deemed dangerous and unpredictable, made it impossible for Ryanair to operate the flight safely as usual.
As a result, passengers were diverted, leading to a landing in Porto, an overnight hotel stay, and a departure the following day… A problematic situation causing nearly 24 hours of delay for travelers!
A real scandal for Ryanair, which decided to take legal action against the responsible passenger. Consequently, more than €15,000 was claimed from the intoxicated passenger due to additional costs for fuel, passenger transport, hotel bookings, food expenses, and more.
Here is a breakdown of the incurred costs:
- Extra fuel for the diversion: €800
- Hotel costs for 160 passengers and crew: €7,000
- Landing and handling fees in Porto: €2,500
- Cost to replace the crew (to comply with legal flight hour limits): €1,800
- Lost in-flight sales: €750
- Legal fees in Portugal: €2,500
For Ryanair, it’s unacceptable that hundreds of passengers suffer due to one intoxicated individual. This not only incurs costs but also jeopardizes everyone’s holidays or plans by causing over 24 hours of unnecessary transit delays.
Alongside this legal action, Ryanair is urging airports to take measures to limit alcohol consumption. The spokesperson expressed the company’s stance clearly:
It’s time for EU authorities to take action to restrict alcohol sales in airports. Airlines like Ryanair already limit alcohol sales onboard, especially for disruptive passengers.
However, during flight delays, passengers consume excessive alcohol in airports without any purchase or consumption limits.
We don’t understand why airport passengers aren’t limited to two alcoholic drinks (using their boarding pass in the same way duty-free sales are controlled), as this would promote safer and better passenger behavior onboard and create a safer travel experience for passengers and crews across Europe.
This statement has already resonated with other airlines, who are also calling for similar measures.
