Alcohol in AUH lounge in Ramadan
Jun 11, 2016, 7:53 pm
#31
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That was the ORIGINAL intention of Ramadan. Right now, it's "we drive off at 6pm, totally pissed by low blood sugar, in our luxury SUV giving a damn about traffic laws, to a super buffet, where we stuff our faces at buffets easily costing 100$+ with food that poor people never could afford. Then we stuff ourselves again just before the sun rises. This is not just unhealthy, this is totally AGAINST the original idea of Ramadan.
Now, you can agree or not with me about the "not drinking water during the day" part. But apart from that, if you indeed used Ramadan as it was intended, you wouldn't actually gain weight (and losing a lot of muscles) during it (like in reality all those in the UAE do who "celebrate" it..)
If you actually just ate modest at sunset and at sunrise, your body would quickly get used to that, and after a few days, you would indeed feel better and not have those pains that the "twice a day stuff your face" people get..
If you want to celebrate Ramadan in true spirit, then do it. But don't eat huge buffets of luxury food that no poor man ever could afford.
As for me, I was talking about not drinking water in general (the lounge part aside) - not alcohol - during the day. I'm still missing the part where that would somehow help to be a better person..
But it's kinda silly if you serve alcohol during the (day) flight, and then upon landing at 5pm you're refused..
Now, you can agree or not with me about the "not drinking water during the day" part. But apart from that, if you indeed used Ramadan as it was intended, you wouldn't actually gain weight (and losing a lot of muscles) during it (like in reality all those in the UAE do who "celebrate" it..)
If you actually just ate modest at sunset and at sunrise, your body would quickly get used to that, and after a few days, you would indeed feel better and not have those pains that the "twice a day stuff your face" people get..
If you want to celebrate Ramadan in true spirit, then do it. But don't eat huge buffets of luxury food that no poor man ever could afford.
As for me, I was talking about not drinking water in general (the lounge part aside) - not alcohol - during the day. I'm still missing the part where that would somehow help to be a better person..
But it's kinda silly if you serve alcohol during the (day) flight, and then upon landing at 5pm you're refused..
Jun 12, 2016, 5:29 am
#32
Join Date: Aug 2004
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But I can relate to your sentiment, it isn't pleasant.
Now extrapolate that to something or someone trying to force you to implement their beliefs properly when those are not your beliefs and you arrive at a whole other level of oddity.
Jun 12, 2016, 10:35 am
#33
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: IAD
Posts: 735
What I think is being missed here by some, is that the ME3 Ramadan alcohol policy is influenced by their home city. DXB is in general more liberal then AUH, as result their home town airline's Ramadan policies reflect that. As pointed out by others here consumption of alcohol is not dictated by Ramadan as it is banned out right for Muslims in general. The ME3 airlines do get a lot of flack from some citizens of their home market for even allowing alcohol during Ramadan (or at all) and these policies are an attempt to stick a balance, which in the end leaving no one fully satisfied, but it is the best they can do. I think sometimes people who fly the ME3 forget they are flying thru an islamic nation with difference values then our own. If you cannot respect their values fly someone else.
Jun 13, 2016, 8:14 am
#34
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Generally, I agree that one should respect local prevailing regulation and culture. This only gets difficult if the latter two do no longer align. If culture and law are somewhat in harmonised by a political process then yes, they can indeed be called values. If the edicts are handed down from above and through the ages, then they are just that.
Jun 21, 2016, 4:26 am
#35
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Jun 21, 2016, 4:52 am
#36
Join Date: May 2009
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Jun 21, 2016, 4:55 am
#37
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Jun 21, 2016, 7:13 am
#38
Join Date: Oct 2015
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They've allowed some friends and myself to carry on and consume a 1L bottle of duty-free vodka, but we were told at check-in that it depends on the crew (and captain specifically) and asked on board before opening it. They were quite happy to bring us mixers.
Jun 22, 2016, 4:06 am
#39
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Jun 22, 2016, 5:24 am
#40
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Jun 22, 2016, 11:09 pm
#43
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Cuz I wanted a cigarette & the purser told me I was welcome to smoke in the cockpit that's not something I would do or even ask to do on any other airline but EGYPT airs been letting me do it for years (even into JFK which shocked me....but I still went 
***before 9/11 as a F class passenger I was usually allowed to smoke in the cockpit on MH, CX & SQ (who had all just recently went non smoking so the thought of smoking on an airplane was not so strange. Even UA still allowed smoking on NRT flights up till 1997) but after 9/11 I hadn't been allowed ever again in the cockpit on those carriers (just MS). To the person who said it sounds like the 80's, no, more like even late 90's. BA used to let whichever Gold card holder that asked first sit in the cockpit on Concorde for take off & landing all the way till its last flights in 2000 or 2001. CX & MH were the easiest though, I was never turned down a jump seat for take off or landing until 9/11
that's not something I would do or even ask to do on any other airline but EGYPT airs been letting me do it for years (even into JFK which shocked me....but I still went ***before 9/11 as a F class passenger I was usually allowed to smoke in the cockpit on MH, CX & SQ (who had all just recently went non smoking so the thought of smoking on an airplane was not so strange. Even UA still allowed smoking on NRT flights up till 1997) but after 9/11 I hadn't been allowed ever again in the cockpit on those carriers (just MS). To the person who said it sounds like the 80's, no, more like even late 90's. BA used to let whichever Gold card holder that asked first sit in the cockpit on Concorde for take off & landing all the way till its last flights in 2000 or 2001. CX & MH were the easiest though, I was never turned down a jump seat for take off or landing until 9/11
Last edited by chinatraderjmr; Jun 22, 2016 at 11:19 pm
Jun 23, 2016, 1:09 pm
#45
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No, not everywhere. Are you speaking about smoking or sitting in the cockpit? Before 9/11 the govt of the airline made the rules. The FAA didn't allow it so you would not see a passenger in a UA/AA/DL cockpit. But the UK's CAB did allow it (pilots discretion). A number of airlines allowed it and there was no law against it (that's changed for almost every country since 9/11
Same with smoking. It's not illegal to smoke on many carriers but it is illegal to tamper with a smoke detector or fail to follow flight attendant instructions. So if a flight attendant on say, SQ tells you it's ok to smoke somewhere, there is no LAW against it. It may be against company policy but you can't get arrested for that. I have NEVER EVER hid in a lav and had a cigarette but I will admit on some ultra long hauls I've asked the purser if I "could just have one". 9 out of 10 times the answer is no but 1 out of 10 I surprisingly get a yes. (Never on American carriers & only once on a European carrier) but sometimes on Asian or the ME3 they will find a place in the middle of the night to let me have a quick one...........it's not against the law on many carriers, just against the rules. But there is no rule that says you can't ask
It was no soooooo long ago that many airlines still had smoking sections. It went away on UA in 1997 but ANA, JAL, EK, and a few others had some smoking flights all the way thru 2000.
Same with smoking. It's not illegal to smoke on many carriers but it is illegal to tamper with a smoke detector or fail to follow flight attendant instructions. So if a flight attendant on say, SQ tells you it's ok to smoke somewhere, there is no LAW against it. It may be against company policy but you can't get arrested for that. I have NEVER EVER hid in a lav and had a cigarette but I will admit on some ultra long hauls I've asked the purser if I "could just have one". 9 out of 10 times the answer is no but 1 out of 10 I surprisingly get a yes. (Never on American carriers & only once on a European carrier) but sometimes on Asian or the ME3 they will find a place in the middle of the night to let me have a quick one...........it's not against the law on many carriers, just against the rules. But there is no rule that says you can't ask
It was no soooooo long ago that many airlines still had smoking sections. It went away on UA in 1997 but ANA, JAL, EK, and a few others had some smoking flights all the way thru 2000.
Last edited by chinatraderjmr; Jun 23, 2016 at 1:16 pm