Welcome | SIGN OUT
Find a Flight
  1. Click to reset this suggestion
    Click to reset this suggestion
    Click to view the calendar
    Click to view the calendar
0 sites selected
Hint:Pick3
Please select at least 3 sites above to compare

If you search more sites, you might find better deals

Ok, I will pick moreNo thanks

The Stupidest Thing You Can Do on an Airplane

February 23, 2009 | Posted in: Ask Rick,Flight Attendants,Passengers

Stupidest thing you can do in-flight? Three little words: drink too much.

And yet people will do it again and again. The latest incident (that I know of) was noted by Gadling: it involved an Omaha man who was heading to Cincinnati on Comair. He’d been drinking – a lot – and the flight attendant cut him off. So he started a fight. And was arrested. Then booked into jail.

I’ve been reading about way too many of these outrages – and it is an outrage: it can be dangerous for flight crews and passengers. This nonsense has got to stop.

What do you think? Should airlines cut out booze altogether? Or would that just make everyone “suffer” because of the idiocy of a few?

By the way, this latest incident took place at about ten in the morning. And the traveler in question was on his way to his grandmother’s funeral. Wonder if he ever made it…

40 Responses to “The Stupidest Thing You Can Do on an Airplane”

  1. Steve says:

    Cut it out all together unless the flight duration is greater than six hours. You can’t go less than 1/4 of a day without a drink then you have serious issues to deal with.

  2. matt ward says:

    Happens a lot. I got a 7:30 am flight last week and no less than 3 people in first class (total 6 passengers) ordered vodka drinks!

  3. Airie says:

    Cut out the booze altogether. Drunk people are a drag.

  4. Glasscitygirl says:

    Why should everybody suffer because some people don’t know how to control themselves? Personally, when I go on vacation, regardless of the length of the flight, I might want to have a drink and I shouldn’t be penalized because others don’t know how to behave when they fly…probably the same people that do the same thing in their local bars!

  5. Angela Knotts says:

    Some people don’t like to fly and I would rather have them relax with a drink or two, than flipping out all through the flight about the plane possibly crashing. I think there should be a 2 or 3 drink maximum per hour.

  6. Adie says:

    Why punish the rest of us? Make the consequences bad enough so people won’t get out of control. How nice is it to relax with a glass of wine for those annoying flights?!!!!

  7. Holly says:

    Get rid of it – smokers survived the no smoking ban, drinkers can learn to do the same – have a cocktail at the airport and then LEAVE IT!!!! Nothing but problems.

  8. Di says:

    When my husband and I go on vacation, it starts the minute we sit down on the plan. One of our favorite “treats” (we only do this when on vacation) is to have a bloody mary on the plane to our destination. It is ridiculous that we cannot have a drink (even in the morning) because of a few idiots who cannot monitor themselves. If all else fails, limit the cocktails to 1 per hour or no more than three, but don’t make everyone suffer because some people are stupid.

  9. Linnie says:

    Although one can obtain drink service at the airport, it should be limited on flights, including first class which should include no alcohol service in first class until the plane is off the ground. They may wish to consider matching limited booze to the limited food service on flights. Unfortunately, many must often suffer because of a few but if it keeps the majority free of such disturbances and provides a safe environment, so be it.

  10. J J Jennings says:

    Cut out all liquor.
    It is not necessary on any flight.

  11. Sue says:

    Do not cut out drinks on the plane. I always like one or two after a long hard week working at a client site. Educate the flight attendants on how to detect when it’s “too much”. We already have ways to deal with it, so why punish all for a few?

  12. Carol Phelps says:

    Actually, in 40 years of flying, I don’t ever recall seeing anyone that I could identify as drunk, and certainly no one disruptive. Having a cocktail on board often makes the flight more bearable. I don’t usually indulge, however,unless it is free.

  13. Kathryn says:

    There is absolutely no reasons for anyone to be drinking alcohol on a flight. It is not your right to get bombed.

  14. vera says:

    not necessary to have alcohol on flights. The crew has enough duties to handle and don,t need a drunk to deal with

  15. ed matney says:

    Would be interesting to check BAC vs. survival rates in crashes. I NEVER drink on a plane for that reason. Having to maneuver around a drunk in a critical situation would be neither pleasant nor safe..

  16. Russ says:

    Virgin Atlantic runs an open bar on its flights. I wonder how many bad experiences they have to report. A recent flight to Barbados from Manchester was quite peaceful. The largest majority of Virgin’s passengers are Brits who have a hard earned reputaion for obnoxious drinking behavior. Certainly the Brits will take exception to the comment, but I would direct their attention to their stags in Czech Republic and other parts of Eastern Europe where public urination, fighting, and similar behaviors have made them unwelcome.

  17. cella says:

    Flying coach is miserable. Cocktails, in moderation, helps those who hate to fly the unfriendly skies. Let’s require the Carrie Nation’s of the world to fly in coach and see how fast they change their minds about being served a drink! For those who demand to stop all drinking on planes, is just one more example of the Political Correctness (PC) Nazis trying to control the world.

  18. AnneBeckett says:

    Hmmm. well, MAYBE the airlines need to stop plying people with SO much alcohol, especially as they don’t FEED anyone any more. Think about it. If they make someone take three legs and then there’s plenty of layovers and missed planes, etc..; people get ANGRY. So, on any given day where one person is taking a cross-country flight (let’s say Austin to Boston, which takes sometimes all day– and I mean well over 12 hours, because of airline problems)..
    So, the person has two drinks on first leg; stop/layover/cancelled flight? 2 more drinks. Second leg, same as the first (adding 4 more drinks).. then, two or three more delays (typical), meaning what? Oh, yeah; MORE drinking by an already irritated individual who also may not enjoy flying and is drinking (and maybe taking meds to compensate for fear). So, give him a couple of drinks on the ground and two more in the air. YOU have ONE drunk guy.
    It is what it is and I blame a LOT of it on the airlines and how they toy with us when it comes to keeping their word on how long it takes to get somewhere. I have flown a LOT (for medical treatment) in the past year and one-half.. and 80 percent of the time, my planes did not take off as expected or planned.
    Airlines NEED to do a better job as the prices they charge should come with a better guarrantee OR at least warrantee.
    And, people should not drink so much. Personally, I have never been drunk on an airplane. Doing so is dumb, but pushing it in order to calm passengers is ALSO dumb.
    akk.

  19. Roger Dodger says:

    What happened to the two (2) drink limit there used to be?

  20. Louise Farmer says:

    Once a year my husband and take a holiday without our 4 children and when we get on the plane we have a glass of wine to celebrate the beginging of our 7 days together. One glass is lovely- hogging it back to the point of drunkness is just plain pathetic especially on an airplane- throw them out no parachute could be an option! Lol

  21. Darlene says:

    Once again, the 2% rule takes over. Punish 98% for the deeds of 2%. Being somewhat of a nervous flyer, I appreciate that glass of wine.

  22. Ann Wyatt says:

    I think one drink should be it. And heaven help us if the airlines start to let people use their cell phones. Can you imagine a long flight with the person next to you constantly talking loudly or talking at all to someone on a cell. Texting only should be the only thing allowed other than “muted” wireless laptops.

  23. AZ Thunder says:

    What’s the difference. Cut it out and sensible people are punished. And the stupid ones will protest and create a fuss. Put a limit on it and the stupid people start complaining. Keep it as it is and all suffer when soomeone is stupid. Personally, I think a limit is a good compromise for all. Sometimes on a later flight, I like to enjoy a beer or cocktail. And since we can’t really bring it on board…

  24. Ann says:

    The majority of people that fly are adults. Regardless of the time or duration of the flight it is expected most responsible adults would make a responsible decision concerning imbibing alcohol. You can not let the minority of the irresponsible dictate to the responsible adults.

  25. Dick Englert says:

    Here we go again, letting a few control the masses. Where are the air marshalls? Where is common sense? Where is the flight attendent control–if she or he needs help–call for it from the other passengers. Everyone has a stake in safety.

  26. Sallie says:

    I agree with the no drinking..can’t you wait till you get to your destination?

  27. Dave says:

    My worst experience ever was this past fall on a flight from PIT to ATL. There were a group of guys going to a football game and they started their party on a 7 AM flight. By the halfway point of the flight they had already drank all the beer on the plane and started hitting the “hard” stuff. While we were landing one of the drunks threw up in the aisle while his buddies cheered him on. What a great way to start 200 hundred peoples day…climbing over some drunks puke. It was the only time in my life I was embarassed to be a Steeler fan…

  28. Sharona says:

    Cut the booze. Anyone who can’t last a few hours without a drink has a real problem. Either that, or limit everyone to one drink. Okay, maybe you need one drink on a long flight because you’re nervous about something, so have it. No one’s going to get drunk and rowdy on one drink.

  29. Ken Adams says:

    People are “not” arrested all the time when one considers the numbers of daily flights. Enforcing a form of Prohibition in the air punishes the vast majority of responsible drinkers and will just send the abusers to the airport bars or flasks in their carry-on
    bags. And first-class amenities should not be cutback…order coffee or juice if you don’t Bloody Mary’s !

  30. Cigar Jon says:

    Some sort of restriction may be in order. Leave it to the airlines. I can’t imagine, though, how the flight attendents could keep track of the drinking habits of 200 passengers or more. A bit of bartender wisdom might be the “way to go” here — perhaps some training for the cabin supervisor too.

    I enjoy a drink now and then, especially at the onset of a very long journey. I was on an American flight out of Hartford, enroute to Australia. I ordered a Bloody Mary with breakfast. The lady next to me was enroute to her marrage. She liked the BM idea and also ordered one. The couple behind us heard the order and thought a couple of BMs would be a nice way to start their trip to Hawaii. We had our drinks and drifted back to quiet conversations and the morning papers. Some time later, the good-natured flight attendent whispered to me, “You caught me off guard. This is normally a coffee and juice flight. Fly out of here often?” She smiled.

    So much of the flying experience has deteriorated over the last two decades. It may be harder to engineer solutions that retain the amenities. To me, that solution is preferable to prohibition.

  31. Cheryl says:

    The drunks I’ve seen in flight, were that way when they got on the plane. The guys sitting next to me (one got reallllly sick) said they had so much to drink becuase they had to be at the airport to check in so early. True? I don’t know, but could be. At LAX it’s 1-1/2 to 2 hours before your flight, that a long time to just sit and wait.

  32. Terry says:

    I totally agree with number 15. I think dealing with someone who is drunk during an emergency situation could be a major disaster. I also feel they should be able to go without a drink of alcohol until they can get to their destination. If they need something to calm them down during a flight they can take a Benedryl or a Tylenol PM before their flight. It will help them to sleep on the flight.

  33. Di says:

    I don’t think cutting out alcohol on the flights will fix the problem because too many people like to drink at the airport restuarants while waiting on their flight or waiting on layovers. It would be great if there was some kind of computer system that could tie in with the boarding passes that limited a number of drinks per person per flight per hour, etc. Only other problem is lots of nervous flyers like to drink in thier car on the way to the airport…duh…and then drink when they get to the airport resturant.

  34. John F says:

    Eliminating alcohol on flights will not eliminate drunk people; many walk on that way. It will also not eliminate obnoxious, childish or irritating people. Personal responsibility is where we so often seem to break down in this country. Require people to be responsible for their actions. Airplanes are much more strict about people “acting up” than most other places, which is a great thing. I like the fact that an airplane is one of the few places where drunk or obnoxious people can be forced to behave, or go to jail. Not that this improves things for everyone else on that flight.
    If airlines want to limit or eliminate alcohol that’s always their prerogative. Apparently none are leaning in this direction, not just because of money, but because they agree with the majority above, that lots of passengers might enjoy a drink or two to relax, or help go to sleep.
    Don’t like drinking on planes? Don’t order any.

  35. Keith says:

    They’re charging me for baggage. They’re charging me for gas. Air Canada Jazz started pulling life vests to save weight.

    One wonders exactly how much one of those drinks carts weighs, what with all its little glass bottles of booze. And let’s not forget the crate of wine bottles in business and first class…

  36. Gary says:

    Don’t cut out drinking. Instead, cut out drunks. One offense, and never again on a commercial flight. Simple.

  37. Rosie G says:

    I’m an almost none drinker–5 drinks a year is a big year. But I agree that people should be responsible. Get drunk, get obnoxious and get jailed. I’m 60, and I”ve never seen a drunk on the plane (last year I flew 10 times) So it isn’t a everyday, every flight thing. Everyone shouldn’t be punished for the few.

  38. Julia says:

    Heck no! Don’t cut it. I am not a big drinker but having a drink is the only thing that helps calm me down when I am flying. I have tried lots of other ways to relieve my flying anxiety (ie antianxiety prescriptions) but nothing works better than a glass of wine. If morons want to drink irresponsibly that is their problem, don’t make the rest of our lives miserable.

  39. Tommy B says:

    Let them drink :)

  40. Joseph Blazewicz says:

    What they should do is remove all of the hard liquor (banned). If you don’t like it, don’t fly its plain and simple. They should check all people that drink too much, they put all of us in danger. If your blood alcohol level is .10 and higher, you don’t fly. If blood alcohol level is under.10 your allowed to fly under certain terms and conditions.

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.