Back to Squawk list
  • 26

American, Southwest Airlines Extend Alcohol Suspensions After ‘Disturbing’ Incidents

प्रस्तुत
 
The decision comes after a flight attendant lost two teeth during an assault. Nationwide, there has been a significant rise in unruly passenger behavior, the FAA said. Southwest and American Airlines are both extending suspensions of alcoholic beverages to in-flight passengers following a significant rise in unruly passenger behavior across the country. American Airlines announced its decision in an internal memo sent to flight attendants on Saturday and obtained by HuffPost. It came one day… (www.huffpost.com) और अधिक...

Sort type: [Top] [Newest]


BoscoBob
BoscoBob 1
Almost 15 years ago, I lobbied hard to ban alcohol from flights. I wrote to the FAA, DOT, my senator and my representative. I wrote the airlines, AOPA and I would have written to the pope if I had thought that it would do any good. I got shot down everywhere. The problem is that the airlines make bundles of cash from selling alcohol and they do not want to give up those profits.
My concern has been evacuations in an emergency. A single drunk a-hole at an exit can caused hundreds of deaths. Ban alcohol!
thomafrancl
Thomas Francl 2
How soon will it be until we'll need to pass a breathalyzer test to board? It only takes a few morons to screw everything up for the rest of us. Everyone duck...the lawyers are headed our way.
Phil1369
Phillip Hochstein 2
Doesn't make sense if they are not serving alcohol on the plane and these people were drunk, then they must have been drinking in the airport or before they got there. How does not serving on the plane fix that problem?
BoscoBob
BoscoBob 1
They can and do deny boarding for obviously intoxicated passengers.
yakc130
Doug Zalud 4
Outside of business and First Class, don't you have to pay for the booze nowadays? Whatever happened to just cutting people off?

It's about nonexistent personal responsibility. Start to bring it back by punishing the individual, not everyone else.
musocat
James Patterson 3
I can take it or leave it. Often, I'm renting a car after the flight so I leave it.
OnTheAve
OnTheAve 1
Maybe it's time to introduce flying certificates where violent thugs as we have seen recently are not able to fly.
raynetherwood
ray netherwood 4
Nothing like good old group punishment.

Grim.
daetchevtex
David Thompson 4
There was an incident several years ago that occurred (and was videotaped) on an American flight. A hotheaded passenger jumped up and threatened to beat up a flight attendant half his size. The FA was trying to have a passenger check a twin size baby stroller that would never have fit down an aisle and would have blocked access to some emergency exits (which is a big "no-no" per the FARs). This bystander jumped in to "protect" the woman, who was crying her head off and refused to follow instructions. Luckily, the assailant was restrained; however, instead of being removed from the flight and arrested like he should have been, he was treated as a "hero" by the media. American, in all of its wisdom, suspended the flight attendant (not sure how long the suspension lasted). I said at the time that AA had really dropped the ball. This type of behavior should not be tolerated for any reason. The FARs are very explicit about following crewmember instructions and NOT interfering with any crewmember in the performance of their duties. I said at the time that AA's response encouraged future incidents because of their failure to do the right thing.
mdburd
mdburd 8
Forgive me for saying; but thank goodness it's still available in the front of the bus. Mom's a very scared flier--even though she's literally flown at least once yearly since 1958... It's those couple glasses of wine on each segment that gets her to me in the Virgin Islands....
florabrands
Flora Brands 5
What about unruly crew behavior? I have witnessed unfathomable treatment of passengers that would have gotten us fired years ago. Why are these crews, all of a sudden, be allowed to treat passengers as though they are honored to be on a flight? Who the hell is the customer anyway? We get almost zero service and now treated like dirt!! Enough is enough! Bring back service!
jenastreet
jena weber 7
Ban the person(s), not the alcohol.
RexBentley
Rex Bentley 5
Going back to riding the bus, safer and better class of people.
smillerxx
Stephanie Miller 1
Hahaha!!!! 🤣🤣🤣
ccoogan
Chris Coogan -1
Eastern Airlines space available. PIT MIA TTPP.
Business attire, pigs in a blanket, bloody marys....
FA passed on a barf bag full of roadies to kickstart our vacation.
They really were the ‘Good Old Days’
Dignity, Respect and camaraderie....all gone
waypoint66
David Rice 0
Yes, many of us lament the disappearance of the camaraderie evidenced by a "barf bag full of roadies".
musocat
James Patterson 1
What's a "barf bag full of roadies" ?? lol
augerin
Dave Mathes 14
...ahhh, the days when you could get happily hammered and wake up to a lovely stewardess informing you that it's time to go...no violence, no nastiness, nobody bothered or upset....sigh...
hortod1
dj horton 6
The longest flight in duration is from Singapore to New York, at just under 18 hours.

If you can’t go less than a day without a drink it may be time to seek treatment.
sully0808
Kevin Sullivan 8
Personally I don't think the 1 beer or cocktail you can be served on most domestic flights should overwhelm any "sane" person's senses. If you are prone to violence... The single beverage being there or not has no impact. I would think it is the "layover beverages" that would have the biggest impact and I don't see those being banned.
DianeRiggan
Diane Riggan 9
Worked for American a lot of years. Alcohol is not the issue it’s the fact that flight attendants have tried to convince management for years passengers were more aggressive between arguments, shoving, cursing and unwanted touching that happens during meal and beverage service while carts are in the aisles. This violence is not new.
sho69607
Spencer Hoefer 24
Not everyone feels the need to punch someone in the face after a few beers. Just sayin.
smillerxx
Stephanie Miller 3
Punish the masses because of a few. Reminds me of my Army days.
sbetheil
Stuart Betheil 1
It needs to be done for the time being. The risk is too great. When things calm down in the world, maybe they can reinstitute the sales
jrgp1
Jose R Gonzalez 0
This is not punishment. This is discipline. Were you able to drink in your army dsys wherever you felt like it?
smillerxx
Stephanie Miller 1
Mission versus vacation. Not exactly the same thing.
tsultana
Tony S 3
So you can't drink on a plane going on vacation. You can't drink in a car going on vacation either.
A6SEA
Bill Butler 3
Right. But I'm not driving the plane.
southgeek
stacey go 26
If they are currently NOT serving alcohol, and they are having incidents, how does continuing to NOT serve alcohol bring about a change? Punish the bad apples, leave the rest of us alone.
jptq63
jptq63 6
Either perspective (I would still like to be able to get a beer or scotch on a long haul international flight; granted not many of these currently and usually not interested on a short haul flight) for or against the ban (and again, do not think it is such a bad idea and give airlines the credit to decide what amenities to provide as service…), what I dislike about AA actions is that they seem to think business / first class passengers response to drinking will be different. I.e. seem like they are saying if is OK for passenger who is paying more to still to “unruly” …. From the article: --- Hedrick said it won’t be returned to American Airlines’ Main Cabin until at least mid-September when a federal mask mandate is scheduled to be lifted. Alcoholic beverages will remain available to first and business-class cabins. ---
waypoint66
David Rice 5
So you're saying that a "Wal*Mart shopper" is NOT more likely to engage in drunk violence in public than a "Neiman-Marcus shopper"? Why do you think there is no "People of Neiman-Marcus" website?
royhunte92
Roy Hunte 7
First class was where the 9-11 hijackers were situated......not sure if American understands that a person's motives may not be affected by the price of their ticket...just sayin'.
mdburd
mdburd 4
Not all; they were scattered throughout the aircraft.
But as Islamic Fundamentalists, they weren't drinking anyway....
Scumhook
Scumhook 2
Excellent point!!!
We should mandate alcohol consumption to combat terrorism!!!!
I'll lead the way...
mdburd
mdburd 3
And bacon... don't forget BACON!!!
avionik99
avionik99 -5
Alcohol needs to be banned entirely at all airports along with stinky smelly seafood!!
Quirkyfrog
Robert Cowling 12
Some people can handle alcohol better than others. My brother gets 'agitated' when he's drinking. He tends to get aggressive and pushes people, and tends to instigate fights. If he has one beer, he seems great, but more, and it awakens a monster.

Me, I'm the opposite. I remember having a flight out of Vegas delayed three times. I sat at the bar across from the gate, and watched the progress, more like LACK of progress. The bartender kept offering me a 'stranded discount' on beer. I probably drank 3 'large' beers, and when the plane finally landed, and boarding started, I paid, and slightly staggered across the expanse to the plane. I got in my seat, looked at the safety card, and promptly fell asleep (passed out?) and didn't wake up until seconds from the wheels touching the ground. Best 3 hour flight I've ever not been awake for. I get quiet, he gets loud and obnoxious.

People with drinking problems should be banned from drinking, but DEFINITELY banned from drinking in a thin metal tube hurtling through the air, with no really effective way of dealing with their crap other than zip ties, and a 200 pound Air Marshall sitting on their head.

The days of 'personal responsibility' are long gone. Jail them, ban them, tattoo their foreheads so no one will give, or sell, them a drink for the rest of their lives. Some turn into Gremlins, and on a plane, that is really not a great idea. I'm just glad that, so far, there aren't incidences like this happening every day. But who knows if all incidents are being reported. I saw a YouTube video of a young early hire flight attendant for a 'regional' talking about the monster she just had on a flight. His big thing that set him off was that she didn't tell him that the 'turkey bacon' was made with turkey. She was crying, and so upset by that jerks actions. People should be banned for uncivil behavior on planes, PERIOD! Alcohol just makes it worse.
jeroberts88
jeroberts88 2
This seem like how Alabama drivers are. They flip you off and show you their gun. Bet mine is bigger. JK
bobfiegel
bobfiegel 2
My first flight was to Basic in 1963. I suppose booze is a part of flying stemming from the long ago () "elite" days of nice dresses, good suits, and real dinnerware for decent meals. But in today's world I'd like to see the lack of class matched by a lack of booze.

But I may be biased -- two beers or a glass of wine and I'm a sleepy camper.
Quirkyfrog
Robert Cowling 3
And having flown last month, Delta had an interesting sentence that jumped out at me.

They will eject you from any flight if you open any alcohol that you have brought on the flight.

I don't remember that being brought to my attention like that. It was a major statement on their trip planning website. I did bring two small bottles of Jameson, but chose to not test them. I can handle it, but if it means not having a way to return, I can also keep it for later. (I actually ended up bring both home, ever opened them)
royhunte92
Roy Hunte 4
Eject......there's an idea. Rig up human-size torpedo tubes, literally eject the person in flight, never have to deal with that idiot again. Just a joke, LOL.
Quirkyfrog
Robert Cowling 1
Someone suggested that such tubes could be used to allow people to survive plane crashes. Hmm... So, with the weight of the ejection mechanisms, a plane wouldn't have the ability to lift more than, what, a couple dozen passengers?

Yeah, sure, I'm thinking that will happen any day now...

It's like the idea of a rocket assist recovery device for satellites. Not enough of them crash, so adding an expensive, and heavy device isn't needed. Maybe for first time rockets, but generally? Why have to boost that much more weight, and what if that causes an issue itself.
ToddBaldwin3
ToddBaldwin3 4
I’d like to do that to the person with smelly feet sitting behind me on the last flight i was on
Quirkyfrog
Robert Cowling 4
OMG!!!

Out of Houston, the woman in front of me rams her seat in full recline, almost crushing my iPad into my knees, and then flips her long hair over the top of her seat.

You bet your sweet butt I trapped some of that hair with my knees as they struggled for room. She was annoyed, but didn't confront me, which was a good thing. Several people gasped with the ferocity when she flung her seat back, with no thought of who was behind her. But I've had other issues on flights connecting through Houston. I try to avoid that airport, if I can.

Hitting the eject button? I wish I had a hand phaser so many times! Her? *ZAP* Gone. The road ragging butthead? *ZAP* Gone. Imagine the good that can be accomplished with a few people having hand phasers.

Mike Flynn? *ZAP* Gone...
waypoint66
David Rice 2
You should have began flicking a lighter and then exclaimed "oh, God, I hope she doesn't smell that!", somewhat softly. Then when she gets up you can incline her seat and either use this method:
https://www.wikihow.com/Stop-the-Person-in-Front-of-You-from-Reclining-Seat-on-a-Plane
Or buy one of these:
http://www.gadgetduck.com/goods/kneedefender.html

Be ready for "words" if using the second option!
bobfiegel
bobfiegel 1
Too bad you didn't have some peanut butter handy, or some jelly, or any other item to apply not to be discovered until later. :-)

And they banned scissors...
aurodoc
aurodoc 13
Probably a decision made for image purposes and I can understand their reasoning but my guess is alcohol is consumed in greater quantities while sitting in the airport bar prior to boarding. I think serving alcohol in flight with a one drink limit would be okay. American stated that they would still serve alcohol in business/first cabin. I guess they assume that passengers who pay up can't get rowdy and obnoxious.
ChrisRisley
ChrisRisley 4
bizprop
Roy Troughton 37
Time to impose lifetime bans for any passenger guilty of assaulting a flight attendant. Not enough for the airline in question just to ban them. FAA/TSA need to put them on a no fly list.
BrorMonberg
Bror Monberg 5
Yes! Lifetime ban with mandatory jail time should be law. There is enough 'baseline' anxiety as is during travel without a self-important fool assaulting someone on your flight, creating a dangerous situation.
jimjallen
Jim Allen 4
Agreed. I’ve had some rude FA’s and I’m sure they can stretch the truth, but I’ve never had a reason to put my hands on one.., or any service person for that matter. I’m not sure I’m on board with stopping alcohol service… and I’m not a drinker… I think I bought a drink once in over 30 years of occasional flying. It’ll be interesting to see if it actually lessens the frequency of these attacks.
andyc852
Andy Cruickshank 4

लॉगिन

क्या आपका कोई खाता नहीं है? अनुकूलित विशेषताओं, फ्लाइट अलर्टों,और अधिक के लिए अब(नि:शुल्क) रजिस्टर करें!
Did you know that FlightAware flight tracking is supported by advertising?
You can help us keep FlightAware free by allowing ads from FlightAware.com. We work hard to keep our advertising relevant and unobtrusive to create a great experience. It's quick and easy to whitelist ads on FlightAware or please consider our premium accounts.
Dismiss