by It sometimes seems that drunk and disorderly airplane passengers are rarely out of the news. In 2023, a man was reportedly tasered and dragged off a Jet2 flight from Edinburgh to Lanzarote after an emergency diversion to Madeira.
In the same year, another man was sentenced to 18 months in prison after being drunk on a flight from Dubai to London. And the most recent well-publicized incident involved a Ryanair flight from Luton to Lanzarote that was diverted to Portugal during January 2024 so that police officers could remove some men.
The offenders are often British: some flights from the UK are prone to drunken behaviour. One member of the cabin crew, who wished to remain anonymous, said The Telegraph that routes to “party” destinations like Ibiza and Mykonos were downright embarrassing. “On this, fliers sometimes disturb other passengers and become violent,” he said.
But while brawls and gossip are often reported out of the country, even those who are quietly braying can pose a danger to passengers and crew. In a June 2023 report, the International Air Travel Association (IATA) pointed out that “any intoxicated passenger who is unable to follow safety instructions or is unable to exit the aircraft during an emergency evacuation is a safety risk “.
Aware of the scale of the problem, airside shops began putting booze in sealed bags in 2019 to discourage customers from trying to drink it in the air. A year earlier, the travel industry launched a high-profile One Too Many campaign which highlighted potential penalties for alcohol-induced bad behavior in the cabin.
Still, the number of irregular airline passengers is increasing, with non-compliance, verbal abuse and drunkenness being the main factors according to IATA’s analysis (non-compliance includes drinking your own alcohol on board). The data showed that for every 835 flights in 2021, there was one disturbing incident that was ever exceeded; by 2022, this had risen to one in 568 – a 47 per cent increase.
“No one wants to stop people having a good time when they go on holiday – but we all have a responsibility to treat other passengers and crew with respect,” said IATA Deputy Director General Conrad Clifford at the time.
Error of judgment £80,000
Under UK law, a convicted passenger could face up to two years in prison and a £5,000 fine for being drunk on a plane. If the safety of passengers or an aircraft is endangered, jail time could extend to five years and, if the plane is forced to divert, the disruptive passenger could be held liable for the airline’s costs, which can be as high with £80,000.
Other countries have similar laws. In France, they are even stricter: drunken passengers face up to five years in prison and a €75,000 (£64,000) fine.
Cabin crew are trained in de-escalation techniques and follow a clear protocol according to former flight attendant Saya Nagori, who recently worked with Love Holidays to uncover the worst in-flight behaviour.
Warning system
“If you get drunk during a flight, you are issued a verbal warning and you are cut off from alcohol for the rest of the flight,” she said. “If you continue to be disruptive, you are issued another warning and told you will have to move after one more situation.
“The third situation occurs and you are moved to another seat if available, and the pilot will inform security that there is a passenger who could be escorted from the plane when we land at our destination.” In extreme cases, and with the captain’s permission, aircraft crew can also use restraints if a passenger puts others or themselves at risk. They can also ask other travelers to help.
The disruptive passengers on the Ryanair flight in January were finally at the mercy of the Portuguese legal system. The airline issued a statement saying the incident was “now a matter for the local police”, although the international nature of these events means that perpetrators are currently less likely to be punished.
No penalty
“Assault a member of staff in a shop or restaurant and the likelihood is that you will be arrested and prosecuted,” IATA said in its 2023 report. “Do it on an international flight and the likelihood is that you will not be punished for on him. This is because under existing international law (Tokyo Convention 1963), authorities in the State where the aircraft is registered have jurisdiction over offenses committed on board.”
However, countries are slowly ratifying the 2014 Montreal Protocol. This gives the scheduled destination of an airplane the right to deal with passenger misconduct under its own laws, regardless of the carrier or where the aircraft is registered.
Certain countries seem particularly keen to demonstrate that they will not stand for such behaviour. In a high-profile case, Greek authorities handed a British woman a 17-month prison sentence, suspended for three years, after her Antalya-bound Jet2 flight was forced to divert to Thessaloniki when she punched and tried to make the crew who wanted to bite. calm her down The airline also banned her for life.
Know your limits
Although there is no official limit on the amount of alcohol passengers can buy on a plane, cabin crew can refuse boarding or refuse to serve anyone they think is drunk. However, due to the lack of concrete guidance, this can lead to conflict (after all, one person’s drunkenness makes another happy – especially after they’ve downed six pints).
Another issue is licensing. Airside outlets are currently exempt from the laws governing pubs and restaurants and, despite calls to end the discrepancy, the idea was rejected by the Government in 2021 after consultation (although its report admitted that “gathering and data sharing on disruptive alcohol-related incidents. needs to be significantly improved through increased cooperation between relevant parties”).
Dr Katherine Severi, chief executive of the Institute for Alcohol Studies, believes this was a mistake. “As we claimed back in 2017, along with various airlines, the National Council of Chiefs of Police and the Association of Multi-licensed Retailers, the Licensing Act should be extended to cover the non-passport controlled area,” a she said.
“This would better control the sale of alcohol in airports and legally require staff not to serve alcohol to people who are already intoxicated, as is the case in licensed High Street premises. Although 86 percent of UK adults support this, the UK government decided back in 2021 not to extend it. With the number of incidents increasing, now is a good time to reconsider that decision.”
An airline does its best
British carriers have adopted their own tactics to discourage drunken behaviour. Jet2 does not sell alcohol on board before 8am, and in 2023 reports emerged that Ryanair was banning alcohol bought in airport shops from the cabin on some flights to Spain.
Simple Flying reported that emails were sent to passengers explaining that their luggage would be searched before boarding, and that purchases would need to be stowed or disposed of. However, a Ryanair spokesperson told the Telegraph: “According to Ryanair’s T&Cs, passengers can carry duty-free alcohol on board but cannot consume it during the flight.”
However, airlines are keen to stamp out bad behaviour, which affects staff morale and damages the brand image. “Passengers who are rude or aggressive can be very disruptive and cause distress to cabin crew and fellow travellers. This type of behavior is completely unacceptable,” said Anna Bowles, Head of Consumer at the UK Civil Aviation Authority.
