The union representing Southwest Airlines flight attendants is condemning the carrier’s move to bring back alcohol onboard later this month, calling it “unsafe and irresponsible.”
Southwest Airlines Flight Attendant Union Condemns Return Of Alcohol Sales Onboard
Southwest unexpectedly announced that it would resume alcohol sales onboard and expand its soft drink offering starting on February 16, 2022. On that date, beer, wine, and hard liquor will once again be available for purchase on all flights over 176 miles, weather permitting. Furthermore, tonic water, apple juice, Coke Zero, Dr. Pepper, hot tea, and hot cocoa will be added to the current soft drink lineup. It has been nearly two years since Southwest has offered alcohol onboard.
Tony Roach, Southwest’s Vice President of Customer Experience and Customer Relations, explained the sudden policy change:
“Customers have expressed a desire for more beverage options, so we’re delighted to restore additional on-board offerings as a part of the Southwest Hospitality that our Customers know and love.”
But Lyn Montgomery of Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 556, which represents Southwest Airlines flight attendants, and herself a flight attendant, expressed concern:
“We have adamantly and unequivocally informed management that resuming sales of alcohol while the mask mandate is in place has the great potential to increase customer non-compliance and misconduct issues.”
She added the move would be “unsafe and irresponsible,” subjecting flight attendants to unnecessary risk.
While United Airlines and Delta Air Lines resumed serving beer, wine, and hard liquor onboard last year, American Airlines and Southwest took a different path, linking alcohol consumption to onboard disturbances and hinting that any return of alcohol sales would be associated with the lifting of the federal mask mandate. Ironically, disturbances on American and Southwest have been higher than on Delta and United during the pandemic, perhaps in part due to their strict no alcohol policy, which may have encouraged more passengers to bring their own alcohol onboard, in larger quantities.
CONCLUSION
Southwest Airlines is expanding its soft drink selection and bringing back liquor sales on February 16th. Drink chits will again be accepted. But the union representing flight attendants at Southwest has condemned the move, calling it “unsafe and irresponsible.”
Southwest’s move makes American Airlines the lone holdout when it comes to the return of liquor sales.
image: Southwest Airlines
Could I suggest to any group of workers wanting to demonize a chemical for the ills of society to point to medical research supporting the idea it’s a particular substance responsible for the behavior and not culture,mental illness or emotional problems? Simplistic explanations say more about the lack of education of the speaker than reflect historical facts.
“We have adamantly and unequivocally informed management that resuming sales of alcohol while the mask mandate is in place has the great potential to increase customer non-compliance and misconduct issues.”
Then let’s drop the useless mask mandate too. Problem solved.
TWU is a cry baby union.
They are not smart enough to realize passengers drink alcohol at airport bars and restaurants like they did PRIOR to Covid.
All this bad behavior the last 2 years with drunk passengers is because the MASK. The mask prevents the smell of alcohol on a passengers breathe which means the gate agent and even the Flight Attendants can’t detect a drunk passenger unless they are stumbling.
Plus, the Flight Attendants at Southwest have gotten so used to doing very little service that they don’t want to do anything
Air travel had become boring. It has become more lively in the last two years. I hope airlines hand out a few props that can be used as benign weapons. The ruckus is entertaining.
To all you uncivilized people out there, you are going to prison but i thank you for entertaining us. Please watch some videos online on hair pulling, body slamming, face punching to improve your game.
Masks don’t cause bad behavior, bad people cause bad behavior
Bad/stupid people trying to force stupid/useless mandates on people causes a lot of bad behavior too.
Just comply and nothing bad will happen to you
Palmolive softens hands while you do dishes. You’re soaking in it!
I don’t know why but I LOL every single time this is posted! maybe because I’m old enough to remember those Palmolive commercials???? thanks for giving me the laughs “Madge”
Alcohol has done and does exponentially more destruction to society in terms of health/deaths and families/relationships destroyed than covid could ever dream about doing. But, sure, let’s keep the alcohol spigots open, because “WE HAVE RIGHTS!!”. But let’s make sure we keep those useless face diapers pulled up tight in between sips so nobody catches a horrific covid cold or anything. The degree of hypocrisy and pathetic/destructive/stupid virtue-signaling we’re capable of is truly amazing to behold.
Al…….as in “Al”coholic?
Enjoy your apple juice pal, I’m putting down a screwdriver at 8am.
I haven’t been served a soft drink in my last 6 or 8 southwest flights since there is always “turbulence.” This has nothing to do with safety and everything to do with a very lazy union (and I’m a pro union guy).
100% agree. It’s ridiculous.
Yes the “turbulence” factor is amazing on Southwest. I recently wrote a letter of complaint to SWA due to no service between Chicago to Orlando supposedly caused by “turbulence.” SWA replied that no service was due to the weather. There WAS NO TURBULENCE.’ As the wife of an airline captain and a pilot myself, I think I am fairly capable of identifying turbulence. I can also easily identify lazy flight attendants who want to be paid but don’t want to work. That is now the case at SWA.
The only thing about this that’s “unsafe and irresponsible” is the union’s brazenness in their quest to have FA’s paid to do as little work as possible.
You are spot on about this.
They’re just mad they’ll have to end their stupid game of “hold up 1 finger for a coke, 2 fingers for diet coke, …”
wow South West really doesn’t care about it’s employees.
And the employees in the cabin, do NOT CARE about the passengers anymore. They are only into exercising their authority!
On a flight from EWR to ORD the other day in United First the flight attendant kept pestering a man to put his mask on in between sips and bites. Yet this same flight attendant not once told the person in the seat across the aisle who was talking loudly without a mask to put his mask on. This flight attendant just seemed to not like one person and was using mask mandates as a reason to exercise authority in a discriminatory fashion. I was surprised by the FA’s actions.
Yesterday I had a dead-heading FA sit next to me on a United flight. She was rude and had the gall to pull out nail polish during the flight. Face mask helped but an FA thinking she can do what she liked. I wanted to say something but was afraid of retaliation from FA’s on-board so I have filed a complaint through the 1K desk.
So, 30 flights since September on United. Though 1K only 3 upgrades so sitting in the back a lot. They have been serving alcohol whole time and not one drunk or problem from it. Not too many people ordering it and even people like me who get it for free, few if any takers on any flights. Not sure about Southwest but sounds like an FA problem. Now, I will admit some flights could be worse like ones to Las Vegas or Cancun but there can be route adjustments (which ones to serve on) as required but not sure a blanket ban is really required in my opinion
Are they providing unhealthy, unsafe statistics reports from airlines already commenced serving the in-flight meal and alcohol service under the strict guidance of sanitation?
Or Do they really want to be flight attendants? Changing their job description and reducing their pay grade may change their mind to condemning alcohol service.
Why not just offer alcohol without mixing, and for coupons only which people could buy ahead or on the flight using the app. That would eliminate the extra contact about 90%.
I flew to Hawaii with them recently and noticed two things. They were still pouring drinks into cups, instead of just handing out cans, which would be safer. I find this stupid especially since those cups hold barely a third of the can.
They had a get this…. Single drink service on the 5.5 hour flight. About 2 hours later they followed up with water in cups.
I wanted to ask for more as my daughter was thirsty, ended up going to the galley and getting it myself because all the flight attendants went to the back to sit and talk for those 2 hours between service.
Get better drink and food service on a friggin bus in Europe.
Flying has just gone to crap.
Southwest reminds me of the airline with employees who treat everyone like elementary school children – the hyper, over-protective, finger shaking, go-stand-in-the-corner approach to every adult who ever flew on their planes. Give it a rest.
Just a strange guess… but perhaps the executives at Southwest have been privately informed of the mask mandate being lifted?
Keep in mind that the CDC order doesn’t have a set expiration date. The TSA directives do, but TSA has stated that those directives will simply be extended for as long as the CDC order is in effect.
Southwest flight attendants were formerly the best in the industry. Now all they want to do is sit and use their phones and computers. Too lazy to take care of customers. Their complaints about returning alcoholic drinks to in flight service is ridiculous!! Do your jobs and ditch the nasty attitudes and all will be well.