Sara Nelson, the President of the Association of Flight Attendants and United Airlines flight attendant, has called for a total ban on alcohol sales at airports and onboard flights. It’s the Roaring 20’s all over again…
“World’s Most Powerful Flight Attendant” Calls For Total Ban On Alcohol Sales At Airports And On Airplanes
Nelson told the Washington Post:
“The incidents of violence on planes is out of control and alcohol is often a contributor. The federal government should provide guidance to airlines and airports on pausing alcohol sales for a period of time.”
Recently, Southwest and American Airlines have announced they will further suspend alcohol sales onboard…to economy class. United Airlines, the airline for which Nelson is still a flight attendant, has recently restored onboard alcohol sales for most flights over 800 miles. Delta and Alaska Airlines are also selling alcohol onboard once again.
But is banning alcohol sales at airports and on airplanes going a bit far?
Despite the widespread view that Prohibition in the United States was a complete failure, it did help to curb alcoholism among many Americans, cut down overall crime, and increased productivity. Nevertheless, it decimated state coffers (both in terms of lost tax revenue and enforcement costs).
And if we’re being honest with ourselves, that is the real reason why Nelson’s policy proposal is dead on arrival. Do you know how much money governments make due to taxes on liquor? (Answer: a whole lot) It’s like lottery tickets and tobacco…states rely upon revenue from injurious sources. That won’t change.
I tend to think mask fatigue is a bigger issue than alcohol in causing in-flight disturbances, but Nelson has advocated for making masks permanent. While we love to consume juicy stories about alcohol-fueled misbehavior onboard, most passengers responsibility consume alcohol and are perfect ladies or gentleman onboard. Furthermore, many of the onboard incidents that have recently made headlines occurred on flights in which alcohol was not served.
Thus, banning alcohol for everyone due to the poor behavior of a few strikes me as an odd policy (and I say this as someone who generally does not consume alcohol).
CONCLUSION
I’m not so cynical that I link this call to ban alcohol to a desire for flight attendants to perform less work. While I have so many issues with Nelson, I think her intentions are noble. But banning alcohol is simply implausible. There’s too much money involved…
(H/T: View From the Wing)
Let’s see.. Sara calls for..
(1) reduction in inflight services..
(2) masks to be continued forever inflight..
(3) no alcohol service onboard or in airports
From my standpoint, Matthew, Sara doesn’t sound “noble.” Sara just sounds plain lazy.
If anybody thinks that Prohibition “cut down overall crime,” they need to crack a history book. In fact it created massive lawlessness and widespread organized crime, the effects of which are still felt to this day.
Flight Attendants’ Unions wanting to ban alcohol aboard flights are of a piece with Teachers’ Unions that want to ban schools in favor of zoom – a call to use the strong arm of government to mold their jobs as they would prefer them to be, rather than how those they are supposed to serve want them to be.
As we have already turned flying into glorified greyhounds, might as well embrace the concept 100%. Let’s gid rid of all food and drinks, thereby not needing ‘flight attdents’ and get 2 conductor/security officer in the economy. Ms. NELSON should get a more meaningful job in different industry rather than subject us to her laziness disguised as safety concerns.
If so I would plan a little black market cottage industry. I’ll book intl. flights and bring on Duty Free bottles in which I’ll set up a small “speakeasy” in row 14. Premium Scotch and Vodka at $39.99 a shot, discreetly poured into a souvenir sippy cup. Cash only.
While a full ban is laughable at best, and destructive at worst, I do believe alcoholism in America is a serious problem, and a sign of poor mental health across the country. I recently heard on the radio about a functional alcoholic who spent over 35% of his income on booze per month. I suspect this anecdote isn’t uncommon.
Sara Nelson is a thief of joy.
@Ed. Yet another jump on the bandwagon of bashing, “America.” Yes, we have faults and yes, we have messes, as does every country. However, as to your point in trying to make the U.S. look like an alcohol baked free for all with drunks at every corner, we actually rank 45th in the world for per capita alcohol consumption. Let me repeat. 45th.
Yeah, there are countries with much bigger issues with drinking than the US. Pretty much all of Eastern Europe and other places in Europe too like Finland. Kind of a lazy take.
And Sara Nelson is a menace to society. I actually dislike her.
Is Sara Nelson related to Wayne Wheeler?
$4800 for a R/T to Hawaii in first class. If I cant get a drink then eff off
I think this is a “great” idea. I’m sure Ms. Nelson would also agree that since FAs are only on board for our safety, their personal cell phones should be turned off for the duration of the flight, magazines should not be brought on board, and conversations behind the curtains should never be permissible. These are all distractions from FAs ability to dutifully perform their job of protecting the safety of the passengers they care about.
Sarah Nelson is a media hog who will say anything to grab attention. How can we equate the spate of violence on planes and terminals on alcohol? Drinks were not even available for the last year until some legacy carriers re-introduced them in April. Sarah … do us all a favor … shut your mouth.
What’s worse is that the author of this post actually thinks it is noble of Sara Nelson…. not sure which of the two of them are more delusional.
I think that you’re giving way too much credit to her on this one by attributing her motives to more lofty ideals. This move is part and parcel with her history of trying to make for less work for flight attendants and a worse experience for the flying public.
She should probably start working for Saudia.
I’d like to buy her a drink.
I read the article and comments and had an “aha! Eureka!” moment. Folks, ready?
Perhaps the reason why so many of the folks are getting cranky and violent isn’t because they’re drunk but rather…
thirsty and hungry. Anyone here have a toddler? I know THEY don’t drink Jack Daniels but oh my, they can be incredibly cranky if they aren’t properly fed or hydrated.
As FA’s cut “service” (in the form of amenities) and increase “attendance” (in the form of compliance with rules), it may exacerbate tensions already in play due to cutbacks on hard product (the seats).
I want to sympathize with the FA union in that since the airlines have become profitable since the 90’s due to cost cutbacks, consolidation, and packing planes but it’s sort of hard to feel sorry for their own labor issues when they treat the passengers like cargo.
Be nice if we could ban Sara Nelson from flying or better yet, from the country. She seems truly toxic to society
Sarah Nelson is a cancer on this planet. After war and famine, I’d put Sara Nelson in line with the things that are most detrimental to the human race.
If Nelson hates the flying public to such a degree- find a new career
Amen, Will…
Prohibition didn’t cut down crime, but rather allowed for it to increase. The statistics don’t follow because most officers were in on the (at the time) illegal alcohol business. Gang warfare saw an all time high. If anything, it only got better after prohibition ended and the education of the effects of alcohol was standardized.
I’m no fan of Prohibition, but there were some helpful effects…
“I’m no fan of Prohibition, but there were some helpful effects…”
That’s a rather philosophical observation about anything, isn’t it?
I mean, who advocates or believes in something that has NO “helpful effects” to ANYONE whatsoever?
I suppose someone whose a total nihilist but even then, I’m sure there’s a silver lining…
Another thing to ponder, if one dares, is that so many modern philosophies and ideals have many NEGATIVE effects which won’t be publicly recognized, of course, until those are in the rear view mirror as well…
Indeed.
(*ahem* lockdowns)
But my point was simply 1.) prohibition accomplished a lot of good but 2.) the ends don’t justify the means.
FA’s are the laziest people ever. They don’t do anything and just want sit and gossip. Get her a hoe and I will give her a job to clean my yard.
To continue to be philosophical this late evening…
I could see the ends justifying the means IF we got the actual ends rather than just the means and good intentions.
Just my 0.02, but Sara Nelson sounds like a union hack by spinning the occurrence of certain high-profile incidents into an opportunity to lobby the airlines to require less work out of her members. In other words: lazy. Does alcohol often result in negative behavior? Sure it does. But an in-flight ban will only serve to make the kinds of drinkers who cause the incidents to circumvent the ban by getting hammered at the airport or by smuggling booze on the plane. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. And I say all this as someone who rarely drinks on a flight (and not often elsewhere either).
This FA is far from noble. She’s trying to use what’s in the news to lessen her work load. A work load that’s a lot lighter than it once was, with so many in flight services having been cut in the last 20 years.
And Matthew: what few positive aspects of prohibition that existed were overshadowed one hundred fold by the negatives.
I’m flummoxed. Why can’t this union representative better untangle causal factors? Drinking alcohol was (and arguably more so) available pre-pandemic and there was never this level of passenger misbehavior. With packed flights again, as far as I discern, the only difference these days is the mask mandate. And we know this drives a percentage of people nuts.
People have clearly shown they can’t behave themselves on a plane or in an airport. Therefore, policies will be enforced that attempt to do it for them. Plain and simple. I’m a drinker, but there is way too much loutish behavior on planes now. Alcohol just fuels the idiots even further. A total ban is fine by me. I can wait until I’m at home or the neighborhood bar before I tipple a few. Meanwhile the airplane drunks have only themselves to blame.
It’s mask fatigue that most of the disruptive behavior seems to stem from. Polarized views on masks this late into the Pandemic. Drop the mask mandate entirely and wait for the calmness. And who thought class divide on a plane with special privileges was a good idea…. let’s board from the back please and stop the glares!
@DFWSteve
Your point would be valid if these were drunks causing the issues. How can in flight booze be the problem when there is no in flight booze?
@Derek airports have bars. Bars serve booze. People drink booze before flights. Then again, perhaps it isn’t the booze and people are intentionally out to disrupt flights. If that’s the case we need a “one strike, you’re out” policy and permanent inclusion on a NO FLY list.
@DFWSteve
A LOT seems to be due to the mask theatre mandate. Absolutely no reason to keep the mandate in place for vaccinated travelers now that we have conclusive data that shows the US vaccines prevent infection and transmission
and now the last word on the matter…….Cut the stimulus checks off, raise fares and tell people to get their @ss back to work. That would cut out of lot of the idiot leisure travelers who have no self control, whether it due to booze, masks, Trump, global warming, vaginal itch or whatever. Business travelers are rarely the source of this crass behavior. At least from what I’ve seen so far. Most travelers and FA’s don’t have time for this nonsense.
Pre-COVID, I tended to think we were in a golden age of travel, at least if you were a frequent flyer who knew how to work the system. Post-COVID, I think that is pretty much over. This is more evidence of it.
As a retired captain for a major international carrier, who’s married to a retired fight attendant, this isn’t the world it once was, nor are the passengers the same polite, “normal” people we once carried years ago. Drugs are much more more prevalent and mainstream these days, as are people “acting up” and “acting out” for the sake of videos that they can post online for clicks; hoping that the carrier will offer them $$$ or “freebies”. And with low fares comes a different class of passengers who are more prone to acting up and acting out. Anyone who thinks that flight attendants are simply “lazy” is an idiot. You should try dealing with all the drunk morons and kooks in the back who think that they’re something special in the air. Alcohol, often combined with recreational and “prescription” drugs drugs, is something that doesn’t produce a good outcome, especially with the higher cabin altitudes inflight. And the cockpit crew can’t come back and referee fights, like we once could. The flight attendants are on their own. My hat’s off to them – I sure wouldn’t want to do the job these days, nor would you.