Air staff can refuse to serve drunk passengers, but one former cabin crew member claims she would act when anyone started getting “tipsy” on-board
A former flight attendant has revealed one non-confrontational tactic she claims to have used when presented with “tipsy” passengers on-board.
The unnamed crew member said she had personally “watered down” alcoholic drinks of passengers who she felt were becoming intoxicated on-board. The revelation was made on social platform, Reddit, when curious flyers posed different questions about the role of cabin crew.
The topic came up on an Ask Me Anything thread where the question was asked if there is a limit to how much alcohol can be served to a passenger on international flights. The original poster (OP) shared that while there is no set limit, passengers “cannot be intoxicated” on-board.
When pressed further by another poster about what happens if passengers do start to show signs of being drunk, the OP revealed one sneaky tactic she had previously used.
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“We will watch and if we notice a passenger becoming tipsy we will start diluting the drinks,” the OP shared. While this has not been confirmed as a standard practice, research from Stratos Jets seem to back up the claim.
The study – which was viewed by The Sun – interviewed 119 flight attendants and more than 35% of cabin crew members admitted to watering down passengers’ drinks. Additionally, 74.8% of interviewees shared that they had refused service to an intoxicated passenger on a flight, something flight attendants have the right to do.
Cabin crew members reserve the right to stop serving alcoholic beverages to passengers. It is also against the law to be drunk on a plane and you can be refused entry if you’ve had one too many before a flight.
The official rules for drinking on a flight
According to The Air Navigation Order 2016: “A person must not enter any aircraft when drunk, or be drunk in any aircraft.”
Additionally, according to the UK Civil Aviation Authority: “Disruptive passengers can lead to planes being diverted and, where this happens, the disruptive passengers themselves risk having to pay the cost of the diversion. They can also face criminal charges with severe penalties or even prison sentences.”
Passengers who also buy cheaper bottles of alcohol at duty-free are forbidden from opening it up on-board, and must wait until they have landed to enjoy it responsibly.
Ryanair announced on June 12 that disruptive passengers whose behaviour results in them being removed from the plane will now be fined £500.
Ryanair says “unruly passengers” is an “industry-wide issue” and the hefty fine will be the “minimum” punishment and will continue to pursue disruptive passengers for civil damages.