Banning alcohol at airports may clip the wings of unruly flyers

THE Irish aviation industry recently launched a campaign to tackle unruly passenger behaviour in airports and on flights.

All Irish airlines and airports, An Garda Síochána, the Irish Aviation Authority, AirNav Ireland, ground handlers, and international aviation organisations have all come together to tackle the issue.

The campaign sets out how the aviation industry aims to combat the issue of unruly behaviour on flights. It plans to boost its ability to ban passengers through no-fly lists, ensure Gardaí are informed of all criminal activity, enhance training for cabin crew, and improve communication to passengers to prevent unruly behaviour.

They acknowledge that while the vast majority of people have the highest regard for fellow passengers, there is a small minority whose behaviour at airports or on aircraft can have a significant impact on the experience and safety of other passengers or flight crew.

I think that’s a good move and not before time, but maybe they should consider going a step further.

A few years ago, there was a poll on whether there should be a ban on selling alcohol in airports before 10am. The result was very close, with 49.2% saying no and 48.6% saying yes, and the remainder had no opinion either way.

Until recently, it’s not something I thought about too much, to be honest, because it wouldn’t really bother me whether alcohol was available or not. I rarely drink in an airport or during a flight simply because I find travelling tough enough on the body at the best of times without adding drink to the mix.

I prefer to keep myself hydrated with water, but that’s just me.

There was a time when I used to catch a 6.30am flight out of Dublin, which meant I had to be in the airport around 4.30am. It wasn’t unusual to see guys drinking pints at that hour and there’s nothing wrong with having a drink before a flight to kick start the holiday if that’s your thing. Lots of people do it sensibly and the best of luck to them.

Some nervous fliers find a pre-flight drink helps to calm the nerves and that’s OK too.

The problems start though when the drinking becomes excessive. Drunk passengers can cause a variety of issues that not only affect them but can also impact other travellers through delayed or diverted flights, and I reckon that’s becoming more of an issue.

There are many examples of this.

A woman was charged with public order offences after gardaí removed a group of “disruptive” passengers from a flight headed for Ibiza. Passengers on board a Ryanair flight from Dublin Airport to Ibiza experienced delays in taking off over the disturbance.

In another example, a group of seven people were escorted by police off a Bristol flight to Malaga after they became disruptive. The pilot was forced to stop the plane shortly before take-off and return to its stand while the group were removed from the aircraft.

The flight was further delayed while the passenger’s luggage was offloaded.

A flight from Glasgow was forced to make an emergency landing due to a disruptive “drunken” passenger on board, causing a delay of more than five hours for hundreds of passengers.

These stories made the news, but many other examples never made the headlines.

I was travelling through Gatwick Airport in London recently and I called into a bar/restaurant for some breakfast. It was about 9.30am and the airport was busy and so was the pub.

There were six guys in their mid to late twenties sitting around a table and the drink was flowing. They were surrounded on all sides by families with young children.

To say they were loud would be an understatement, and while I was there, they became even louder. They were playing drinking games while noisily cheering and roaring each other on. Their behaviour was way over the top.

Thankfully, there was an absence of Irish accents, which was some consolation.

It’s fair to assume they were catching a flight and I wondered about the condition these guys were likely to be in by the time they were due to board. They were in a bad state when I saw them and that was unlikely to improve, so the future wasn’t looking too bright for their fellow travellers.

That flight was about to become a lot more tiresome for the other passengers.

Having a ban on the sale of alcohol before 10am might have been useful in this instance, but would have little effect on unruly passengers taking afternoon or evening flights.

Some sort of sobriety check prior to boarding might be a better weapon, but this would probably be difficult to enforce, except in cases where the drunkenness is obvious.

Back in the pub, I expected a member of staff to approach these guys and advise them to calm down. I was there for about 45 minutes and I didn’t see that happen, but they were served with more alcohol when it was obvious they had enough.

Surely the bar staff have a responsibility there?

And what about the responsibility of airline staff? Drunk passengers must present their passport and boarding pass at the boarding gate along with everyone else. Should staff there assess the condition of drunk passengers and question their fitness to travel?

It would seem reasonable to carry out a risk assessment at that point under health and safety regulations, given the potential implications for the airline, its crew, and the other travellers.

But, apart from the safety aspect, the comfort of the remaining passengers should also be given consideration.

They paid for their seats and are entitled to a peaceful journey.

The entitlement of the many to enjoy a pleasant flight should take precedence over the right of the few to drink themselves silly.