One airline exec’s anti-alcohol request might be a tall order for boozing travelers.
After Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary’s comments about the need to impose a two-drink limit at airport bars due to an uptick in violence among plane passengers, frequent flyers aren’t too pleased with the proposal.
“We don’t want to begrudge people having a drink,” O’Leary said this week, per The Telegraph. “But we don’t allow people to drink-drive, yet we keep putting them up in aircraft at 33,000 feet.”
He argued that gate agents have difficulty identifying over-served individuals during boarding, and imposing a drink limit would protect the safety of the pilots, crew and fellow flyers.
“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,” he said.
“It’s the mix. You get much more aggressive behavior that becomes very difficult to manage. And it’s not directed just at the crew. Passengers fighting with each other is now a growing trend on board the aircraft.”
But travelers weren’t so thrilled about the prospects of sober flying, taking to Reddit to express their adamant disproval of O’Leary’s suggestion.
“Don’t you dare take away my airport drinking, Ryan,” scolded one person.
“Insist we turn up to airports 3 hours early. Take away the one thing that’s even remotely enjoyable in airports,” scoffed another. “Not a big fan of the proposal, won’t lie.”
“Or, maybe just have an absolute zero tolerance and ban anyone getting violent on flights from being ever being allowed to fly or leave the country again,” argued someone else, writing that plenty of passengers “don’t start causing fights and getting violent when drunk.”
“I would be unable to fly. I get very severe anxiety when flying and have found a couple of drinks really helps me through,” wrote one pro-booze traveler.
“I don’t get smashed, I don’t harm or upset anyone. Why should I be punished because other people can’t handle their booze?” they added.
