[Poshgirl58]

The Channel 4 programme was a hotch-potch of emergency landings, drunken passengers, rapping cabin crew and nervous flyers. Most if not all of the clips have been in other programmes or can be found on YouTube. I sacrificed a BBC2 programme about India and Pakistan to watch this rubbish.

The only apparently sensible person was the guy on the long-haul trip from Asia to LAX who carried on filming after they had been prepared for a water landing. Thankfully the crew had a rethink, announced they had reconsidered and would be landing normally.

Compare this programme with World’s Scariest Plane Landings (2012 I think). There were errors in that programme but at least you had professional input and no hysterical passengers for the DM to chase!

[FaroFlyer]

Flew Monarch earlier this week. Their announcement is “Only alcohol served by the cabin crew can be consumed in moderation.”

In Queen’s English that means that alcohol served by a fellow passenger, or by your self, cannot be consumed in moderation, so must be consumed excessively. Perhaps not the message they intended.

Cheers!

[canucklad]

I also watched the C4programme, and actually thought I had tuned into one those god awful satellite/cable channels that target people who think that the Kardashians have substantially enriched the human race by their existence on mother earth.

And it reinforces my belief that people need to be made accountable for their own behaviour, not seeking blame elsewhere when they are caught.

Let me relate to you a personal story. It reminds me of a Tartan army trip years ago that involved an overnight layover in LGW.

16 of us decided to .combine a week’s holiday with our call to duty to support the boys in dark blue playing in Skopje .Early morning departure from LGW to Thessaloniki meant catching the last EZY flight from EDI the night before..

With most dressed in full regalia, the drinking started with a few pints at EDI, then a drink on the plane and then into the landside bar at LGW. It shut as per normal licensing laws. Chucked out, with nowhere to go, a couple of London’s finest Bobbies appeared, had a chat with us and directed us to a seating area, they also pointed out that the M&S’s stayed open through the night, and that it sold beer and wine. At the same time and with humour strongly suggested that as Scotsman, we might appreciate the fresh food that was now reduced.

They made frequent visits and also got themselves involved in the wee party atmosphere that we had created, and importantly, fellow travellers from Oz, allied veterans of WW2, and others, willingly joined to pass the hours away until the check-in desks opened. No over indulgence, just sensible socialising, and more importantly, not just us actively self-policing, but also the Met’s finest demonstrating their skills to such a high standard. that it meant not one of the 16 missed our flight to Greece.

I’ll add that I’m quite sure all of us knew that our friendly bobbies , would definitely have alerted our presence and good, compliant behaviour to the airline, immigration, security and most importantly of all the airside bar.

[Poshgirl58]

In my haste to post comments on the Channel 4 programme, I forgot to mention the young man with Tourettes (apologies for spelling if it’s wrong!).

He is amazing. Acutely aware of his problem when faced with the many stress triggers found in an airport, he “polices” his own behaviour. As a result, airport and airline staff treat him well, it’s just his fellow passengers that cause a problem. He even managed to laugh at himself.

The startling difference is he tries to control his behaviour, the other idiots don’t!

[Tom Otley]

Further moves

Airport drink curbs loom amid soaring flight rage

[capetonianm]

Given that the authorities seem unable to deal with drunken rowdy behaviour by punishing the miscreants, it is now time for them to ‘punish’ everybody by banning or limiting sales of alcohol.

Given the problems that alcohol abuse by travellers appears to cause, in addition to the delays while people stow their duty free allowances and bicker over overhead bin space, and having to walk through the duty free sales areas of most airports, I’d be very glad to see sales stopped. If someone can’t live without a drink for a few hours, then they have a serious problem – and I like a drink as much as anyone else.

[stevescoots]

Punishments for drunk and disorderly are so weak outside the airports on the high street that people think it’s perfectly acceptable to be like it on the flight. Without sounding like an old fart this anti-social drinking everywhere started when they stopped throwing people in the cells overnight to sober up and if you were being a real nuisance dragged before the beak in the morning. Its fine now to clog up the A&E with drunks, years ago that would have landed you a fine at the very least

[CathayLoyalist2]

It will take a case of someone being seriously injured or worse killed on board by a drunk or drunks and then you will see some action accompanied by the old ” safety is our first priority and of paramount importance” – yawn yawn.

[Poshgirl58]

Stevescoots, your comments are spot on!

I recently spent around seven hours in A&E of a Birmingham hospital, from late on Christmas Eve until Christmas morning. Listening to the various conversations around us, it became apparent that there were at least four people being treated who should have been sleeping it off in the cells. One of them, a young man around twenty, proudly announced he had been drinking neat vodka for the past forty-eight hours. Seven of his mates were there to substantiate his story, until they were directed to the waiting area. Another one, who had to wait, was merrily engaging everyone in the waiting area, with his views on politics and religion. Two cubicles away, another drunk was noisily sleeping off his excesses. The staff nurse clearly had no sympathy with him.

My mother, who was in severe pain after completely missing the last stair in my brother’s house, suggested the old fashioned stomach pump as a cure for their excesses. We would have probably witnessed the fastest sobering-up in history!

[AMcWhirter]

Yet another case. This time it was a J class pax DXB-BHX.

http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/drunk-business-class-passenger-fight-14128067

[esselle]

I think it is important to understand where responsibility lies here.

Selling alcohol to a customer who appears inebriated is as much against the law in an airport bar as it is in the high street.

Boarding an aircraft when inebriated is an offence. Allowing a passenger who appears inebriated to board an aircraft is an offence.

Serving alcohol to a passenger onboard an aircraft who appears to be inebriated is just plain irresponsible.

Reducing/limiting the amount of alcohol that can be served in airport bars is not really going to solve the problem.

[stevescoots]

[quote quote=845480]I think it is important to understand where responsibility lies here.
Selling alcohol to a customer who appears inebriated is as much against the law in an airport bar as it is in the high street.
Boarding an aircraft when inebriated is an offence. Allowing a passenger who appears inebriated to board an aircraft is an offence.
Serving alcohol to a passenger onboard an aircraft who appears to be inebriated is just plain irresponsible.
Reducing/limiting the amount of alcohol that can be served in airport bars is not really going to solve the problem.
[/quote]

Agreed, this is as much about people taking responsibility for their own actions, or a suitable punishment if they are not able to!

[CathayLoyalist2]

If there is one thing that many people are intoxicated with is their rights and entitlements (!!) as we hear, read and see on far to many occasions. It´s a pity that their responsibilities do not rise to the same level

[canucklad]

It’s also a bit of a generational thing here……

I’m not an old fuddy duddy many any stretch of the imagination, and I’ve also been known to have a tipple or twenty, but I’m also keenly aware of my limitations and in most cases my obligations to those around about me.

And I do want to neither make generalisations nor apply stereotypes to the younger generation, yet in my experience they expect much more with little the other way. They (not all) behave in a manner suggesting entitlement without thought to consequence.

My travels by train have blighted many a time by blootered youngsters facing up to anyone who challenges their anti-social behaviour.. It’s not such an issue at airports , probably because of the higher security presence.

Yet, I predict a rise in this phenomena because young people flying off to wherever are beginning to fathom the value into booking into the hospitality lounges rather than buy drink at the bar.

Twenty or more of us are heading to the sun to celebrate my mats sons 18th birthday. 8 of us are on the afternoon flight, 8 of us are now booked into the lounge to “get a swally” before we board.

As infrequent flyers they see the pre-flight drinks as part of the adventure. . I on the other hand would happily have a 1 pint of Best post security and then get on the plane., Cheap easy access to spirits just fuels the issue more!!!

[Globalti]

[quote quote=822830]
There is nothing better than having a pint at 7.00 in the morning, with family and friends before jetting off on holiday. In fact, you can see the envy of some of the businessmen sitting around you, as they sip on their coffee, probably thinking to themselves or muttering under their breath …..”Lucky so and so’s”[/quote]

Nothing better? Really? When I see the poor drunkards “getting some in” at 07:00 as I pass through Manchester’s shopping mall with a runway outside, I mutter under my breath: “Sad buggers”. I could easily sit and drink pints at 07:00 but I’m simply not that desperate for drink, especially not the Europiss they sell in airports – I have more respect for my taste buds and stomach.

We recently endured an evening KLM flight from Manchester to Amsterdam that was delayed by late passengers. When they did board they were two women in their thirties who were absolutely drunk, or on drugs. They were crude, loud and offensive. Worse, some of the men in seats adjoining them became loud and boorish while the other passengers hung their heads in embarrassment. In the same row was an elderly lady who looked as if she wished she could just disappear. The crew had a word with the women, which quietened them down a bit but the last we saw of them was as they staggered out of the baggage hall screeching and swearing towards the taxi rank; a great advertisement for British manners. I would ban all alcohol at airports and I would ration it on board, especially on charter and short-haul flights.

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