Many airlines are restricting or suspending the sale of alcohol onboard. Is this simply the latest cost-cutting move masked as “hygiene theatre” or are there reasonable concerns about the consumption of alcohol onboard flights in the pandemic era?
I’ve had no alcohol during the pandemic…the last drink I had was a glass of wine with dinner on a South African Airways flight in March. I’ve never been much of an alcohol connoisseur and view alcohol as a nice but unnecessary complement to a meal, not (like coffee) as an adventure in itself. I never drink to get smashed or even buzzed. Thus, the idea of in-flight alcohol bans is not near and dear to my heart.
Therefore, my opinion should be taken with that perspective in mind and perhaps you can already guess where I am going with this…
I love writing about alcohol-fueled incidents on Live and Let’s Fly because I find them humorous and, if I am being honest, because they are well-trafficked posts. But so many of these stories are simply pathetic.
I’m curious to observe if passengers will be better behaved during this time or whether this ban will make no noticeable difference. I know there are other elements in play too: open middle seats, masks, and other issues that can either mitigate or make more severe air rage incidents.
But alcohol abuse is so prevalent that the UK has been forced to issue special warnings and create placards to remind passengers not to over-consume. Perhaps this “reset button” will be helpful?
I don’t really view this as a revenue-saving measure, though there is some “hygiene theatre” at play. Sure, Virgin Atlantic’s decision to close its cocktail bar and stop offering alcohol this summer is a pure cost-savings move. But the decision by EasyJet and British Airways to stop selling alcohol on shorthaul flights? I suspect there are very healthy margins on liquor sales and thus this will hurt revenue, not help it.
I’m not convinced this is simply about “protecting the crew” by limiting interactions with customers since other beverages will still be served. But the image of a passenger with slurred speech lurching over other passengers or cursing out crewmembers is certainly more dangerous than a sober passenger drinking water or soft drinks.
CONCLUSION
I guess I am indifferent about the liquor bans springing up because I already try to avoid liquor onboard. That said, I recognize liquor helps many to get through flying and I am not a teetotaler advocating for any sort of long-term ban. But I do hope we can see if the skies become friendlier or less friendly without free-flowing alcohol.
How about you? Are you upset to see airlines limit alcohol under the guise of COVID-19?
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image: Virgin Atlantic
I’m assuming since you say “sale of alcohol” you mean in economy? Are airlines still serving drinks in business class? I was just on a short hop to Denver on Southwest and they were giving out warm cans of water as their drink service for the short OKC-DEN flights.
My understanding, in the US, is that beer and wine is still free in premium cabins on Delta and United, but spirits have been suspended on domestic flights. AA still has full bar service.
No beer or wine in domestic delta flights!
It is a bummer if u pay for FC and only get a bottle of warm water
I’m with you on this, Matt. Last year I flew business LH from ORD-FRA-HKG. I arrived from my connecting flight with a lot of time for my evening connection to FRA. I went to the Polaris lounge and ordered some dinner near the bar. There were two gentlemen that were quite loud, and appeared to have really indulged in the free spirits. I kept hoping they would leave (not be on my flight) but of course that was not the case. I left the lounge and made the journey back to my gate since the Polaris lounge closed early. Near the LH gates there is a Senator lounge which I stopped in to check out as boarding had not begun. Guess what? Those two gentlemen show up to the lounge as well and made their presence very well known. They ordered more drinks and tried to turn the lounge into their own night club. Fortunately, I was on the upper deck for the flight and did not have to endure their behavior for the late evening flight. To be clear, I understand enjoying yourself and having a drink or two but to get that inebriated in public? I just don’t get the appeal. I woke up near Frankfurt very refreshed and had a coffee. I saw the men in the concourse at FRA and they certainly looked like they had a very hard night.
this entire read could have been summed up better and more efficiently (and given me 2 minutes of my life back): alcohol eliminated. reason: airlines getting cheap.
I think it is more nuanced than that.
Yup – more booze = more trips back and forth to the lav = more person to person passing by + more surface contact in the lavs themselves = some marginal increase in Covid transmission
Plus airlines are cutting cost of course
Any travel deals out there now? That would be much more entertaining then a thought piece on why airlines eliminated alcohol.
Where do you want to go and when?
Alcohol nearly always gives me headaches on flights, so to me its no big deal either way.
What i do miss is being able to chat with the bar staff at the LHR and JFK VS Clubhouses. It’s such a relaxed peaceful vibe, alcohol or not, that almost wipes away “i’m getting on a plane soon”.
Here is my assessment. IT STINKS! And I am not much of a drinker.
Matthew, can I recommend making alcohol an adventure in itself (like you do for coffee)?
I also don’t drink to get buzzed/drunk, but to me, a drink in the afternoon/evening is the logical equivalent to a morning cup of coffee. In the same way that sitting down to enjoy a cappuccino in a cool locale is a destination and activity unto itself, so is sitting and enjoying time at a Tuscan winery, a German beer garden, a piazza in Rome, or any number of craft cocktail bars that are commonplace in most cities these days.
Regarding alcohol (esp. spirits) on flights, I would think that there is none more proper of a drink during COVID both because of it’s individual containers and antiseptic properties. Folks certainly over indulge (looking at you IRELAND), but again I find it to be part of the overall experience of flying and one of the last vestiges of the oft-romanticised jet age
If up to me, as CEO, I would offer a special renamed, “Sex on The Bleach” cocktail to all passengers. A tribute to our great and wise leader. Substitute bleach for vodka. Cleanse and get a good buzz at the same time.
Maybe after my ex-husband is voted out of office this November, he can resurrect Trump Air Shuttle next year and offer that as a pre-departure beverage.
This is pretty transparently a cost cutting measure that’s (very) thinly disguised as a safety measure. Next up the Magic 8 Ball predicts that all meal service on long haul flights will only serve a salad, since the airlines are only concerned about our health and reducing our caloric intake will benefit us, regardless of what we want.
Some people need a drink or two to relax for a flight which I respect and understand. I totally view this as a cost-cutting measure. If inebriation or inappropriate behavior were the underlying issue here, new rules or the elimination of alcohol on board would’ve come pre-pandemic.
You know why this is not being implemented on overseas flights? Break out the duty free and throw a party on board. I bet Dufry is rubbing their hands at the thought.
The more you drink, the more time you have your mask down. The more you drink, the more you want to drink. And the more you drink, the more time you spend walking back and forth to the bathroom, which may or may not be particularly clean.
That said, I sometimes get a little nervous on a long flight and love a beer or glass of wine to calm me down. I hope these changes will be reversed as soon as (safely) possible.
Antifastan in the air. Control freaks love to restrict you and tell you what to do. Please, sheeple stay at home and out of the air, it’s much too dangerous for you right now!
Trumpette alert! Theyre the most controlling freaks on the planet. Almost Taliban like in their zeal
Antifastan? That’s…not a thing. Assuming you meant to say anti-fascism, or you’re very poorly referencing Antifa – which is also not a “thing” so much as it is an ideology.
Also, many countries fought a World War (the second one we’d had) wherein anti-fascism was the whole point. So, are you pro-fascism? That’s how you sound. Get a grip, Willy. And a clue while you’re at it.
This is poorly-disguised cost cutting. Nothing more. What’s the marginal cost of a Bud Light vs a bottle of water, especially for a premium cabin passenger? And I’d be curious to know how many innocent people have contracted coronavirus from a plastic cup, ice cubes, and a Dewars. Avoid the hard spirits as they often do require ice and a cup – but tell me how a can of beer during a paid $500 flight is an issue.
Interesting post. Let’s say it is “cost cutting.” Well, is that initially such a bad idea? Imagine if your business had been hammered down to about 5% of revenue almost overnight? Makes sense, as you try to get back up and running, to look at all sorts of reasonable cost cutting efforts. In time, marketing/ competitive pressure will bring back the booze in some form or another, maybe resembling the “old days’ or maybe not. At the same time, as we have seen airlines “fee” us to death in order to drive significant profit, I predict a mini-bar/ booze vending machine in our future! 🙂
Mainly there is an advantage to crew and passengers to have this inflight cut of booze for the near term. Flying has it’s own unique stresses (long lines, cancellations, handsy TSA/ security delays, etc). Now, add in the stress of masks/ no mask/ middle seat empty or not empty, etc, removing booze for a bit of time is a reasonable action. I realized this ban hits the vast majority of careful, reasonable passengers that just want to enjoy an glass of wine or a cocktail to relax and that sucks. But give it a year, and the ban will be gone. Not a great sacrifice, all things considered.
I’m hope the ban becomes permanent. I don’t drink and don’t enjoy being in close proximity to people who do. I’m sick of the silly, ubiquitous selfies of people holding their PDBs as if it were a trophy. I’m old enough to remember when you could smoke on on a flight and the big uproar over that ban, by the way. It’s just not fair to subject others to bad behavior, which happens all too often.
Spoken like a true T totaled church lady. We have so limited the joy of flying that any minor thing taken away at this time just makes matters worse. Just because you do not partake or think it is not a big deal you take away the joy of others. We need to demand more services not let them be cut without a backlash.