Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary’s call for alcohol limits in airports to tackle a rise in disorder on flights, proposing a restriction of two drinks per journey to curb antisocial behavior and violence, has met with a largely positive reaction in call-in shows such as Newstalk’s Lunchtime Live.
O’Leary highlighted a weekly occurrence of violent outbursts, often linked to alcohol consumption and mixed with other substances, causing challenges for airlines in identifying inebriated passengers.
Crew members and other passengers have become targets of such behavior, with delays exacerbating the issue due to longer drinking times at airports, especially in “party destinations” like Ibiza and some Greek islands.
O’Leary emphasised the difficulty in managing aggressive behavior resulting from a mix of alcohol and other substances, stating that passengers who previously may have fallen asleep now exhibit more challenging conduct.
Mr O’Leary said “We don’t want to begrudge people having a drink. But we don’t allow people to drink-drive, yet we keep putting them up in aircraft at 33,000 feet. It was difficult for airlines to identify inebriated people at the gate, especially when boarding in a group. As long as they can stand up and shuffle they will get through. Then when the plane takes off we see the misbehaviour. Passengers should be restricted to two drinks per journey to curb antisocial behaviour and violence. Violent outbursts are occurring weekly with alcohol, especially when mixed with other substances. In the old days, people who drank too much would eventually fall over or fall asleep. But now those passengers are also on tablets and powder. It’s the mix. You get much more aggressive behaviour that becomes very difficult to manage.
