It will be at least Jan. 18 before coach passengers on American Airlines will be able to order liquor on flights. The date matches the revised mask mandate for airlines by the TSA. The mandate was supposed to end in September but rising COVID-19 numbers and the Delta variant have upset the schedule for the return to normalcy. Mask resistance has been the source of much of the increase in unruliness in the cabin and alcohol has anecdotally fueled at least some of the raucous behavior.
For American passengers, the booze ban stops at the curtain between the narrow and wide seats and those in the front will continue to have their choice of beverages. It’s part of a patchwork of liquor restriction across the majors. Southwest had stopped liquor sales until the previous September date but hasn’t announced whether it will extend the ban to match the new mask mandate. United has dropped hard liquor but everything else is available. Almost 4,000 cases of passenger misbehavior have been reported since travel restrictions were eased and the FAA has proposed a total about $1 million in fines against the most serious offenders under its “zero tolerance” policy.
I could care less about booze service but the solution to the passenger misbehavior is so simple I’ll let others point that out. I can tell you that I don’t have that problem on my charter flights, whether or not my passengers drink or not.
It would not hurt my feelings if the ban was made permanent. I had seen a few cases of poor onboard behaviour due to intoxicated passengers well before COVID ever arrived. I suspect the cabin crews are just as happy about the restrictions as well.
US majors were not good at curbing violence even decades ago, except for Southwest.
(Southwest F/As probably had to dissuade some passengers from piling onto a perp, in fact one died from people piling on him.)
Canuck and Brit airlines were much tougher on errant pax, one interesting tactic was to pin a yellow cad to the seat to flag the perp. I don’t know the psychology of why that wored.
Pacific Western wouldn’t tolerate horsing around. One day at a station stop in the interior of BC I saw a bunch of scuba divers get turfed off when they kept doing things like jumping up and going to a different row. They were told that the station manager would give them directions to the bus depot downtown, maybe just maybe would put them on the next flight several hours later depending on how they took the lesson. (Bus ride from Okanagan to Calgary is several hours.)
It would be interesting to know if people actually come on board more drunk: loading up at the concourse pub knowing there’s no booze on their flight.
Violence due to lower inhibition because of alcohol is one part of the problem. The other part is mostly due to social media: reasons/seeing others who share the unruly person’s point of view makes them more inclined to act out violently.
Lifetime bans and fines is what’s needed. The FAA should have remedial courses if you want to get back in the air. You want to behave like a child, then you get treated like a child.
*hearing/seeing
The correct word is ‘brat’. :-o)
Alcohol releases inhibitions, some people go to sleep, others get violent – the latter have very troubled psychology.
They need treatment before being allowed bac on airliners, but that is awkward to do. Though indefinite ban should be a big motivator to attend and learn in treatment.
Not sure this is going to make things better or not. When alcoholics start going through withdrawal, they may be worse than the drunk pax. I’ve seen it on flights where we had an extended taxi delay due to weather and grid lock on the ground (LGA). After a couple of hours the pax wanting drinks, or needing them, really start to get anxious. Demanding to go back to the gate when it’s impossible, some trying to incite other pax to create drama. It becomes apparent how many alcoholics we haul around. Then there’s the ones who demand to see the captain. After a few words it becomes obvious all they need is a drink. And once they get that they’re nice and quiet. At least if they know ahead of time there will be no booze on board, they can choose not to fly.
I had an uncle who, like most of the men in my family, was an alcoholic. He in particular though was extremely good at instigating. He just liked to punch other people’s buttons, and he even used his people skills to have a very lucrative sales and sales management career. He also use to get my dad into fights, and even get him arrested. The situation you describe sounds just like one of his stories. I can hear him telling it in my mind. Sit him next to someone needing a drink, and that guy would end up in the headlines.
A psychologically troubled individual. I sympathize with his employees and customers – such people are abusive and undependable.
He was undependable, but I’m not sure he was hard on his team. Former employees came a long way for his funeral and said great stuff. My dad was though. Man couldn’t teach anything to anybody, and got abusive if you didn’t catch right on.
That’s the thing with functional alcoholics. Most people don’t catch on.
I don’t like being in the presence of people drinking too much either and I’d not be upset if this was permanent but it won’t solve the problem.
As long as there are places to drink in the airport, or on the way to the airport, drunk A-holes are going to be drunk A-holes. Maybe a breathalyzer at the gate? May as well. Every other personal space has been invaded why not.
Dropping the mask nonsense would help too. Funny how people get irritated when they have impaired breathing for 5+ hours.
“US majors were not good at curbing violence even decades ago, except for Southwest.
(Southwest F/As probably had to dissuade some passengers from piling onto a perp, in fact one died from people piling on him.)
Canuck and Brit airlines were much tougher on errant pax, one interesting tactic was to pin a yellow cad to the seat to flag the perp. I don’t know the psychology of why that wored.
Pacific Western wouldn’t tolerate horsing around. One day at a station stop in the interior of BC I saw a bunch of scuba divers get turfed off when they kept doing things like jumping up and going to a different row. They were told that the station manager would give them directions to the bus depot downtown, maybe just maybe would put them on the next flight several hours later depending on how they took the lesson. (Bus ride from Okanagan to Calgary is several hours.)
I guess if you got a second card, it was red and you got ejected?
Pilots know it usually takes more than one thing to create big problems. I think in this case the most important of several issues is shrinking seat pitch.
At the root of that, is the inability of airlines to innovate in the area of pricing and service.