Jet2 Expands Tough Alcohol Restrictions
Jeff Edwards November 07, 2016
Most flyers say they would prefer alcohol-free flights to dealing with the hassles associated with intoxicated passengers.
Over the past few years, Jet2 has had to deal with more than its fair share of problems with intoxicated passengers. The ultra-low-fare airline has gone to great lengths to make its zero tolerance policy clear in the hopes of curbing the unfortunate trend. When a group of six holiday-makers allegedly became drunk and disorderly on a September Newcastle Airport (NCL) to Tenerife South-Reina Sofia Airport (TFS)-bound flight, the carrier not only refused to fly three members of the group home from their resort vacation, but the entire entourage also earned a ban from flying on future Jet2 flights.
In August, Jet2 management announced an aggressive plan to combat at least some problems with over-indulging passengers. The airline introduced a policy of banning onboard alcohol sales before 8 am BST. “We believe that stopping sales of alcohol before 08:00BST on our morning flights is an effective way to ensure everyone has an enjoyable and comfortable journey,” Jet2 Managing Director Phil Ward said in a statement announcing the new rules.
The airline has also campaigned to require all duty-free shops at airports to place liquor bottles in sealed bags that passengers cannot easily access during flights. Ryanair, meanwhile, has banned passengers from bringing alcohol onboard at all on many of its resort destination flights.
The Independent reports that travelers overwhelmingly support Jet2’s strict new alcohol policies. According to a survey from World Travel Market, a full 73 percent of passengers surveyed approve of the more restrictive rules. It seems that most passengers would prefer to do without adult beverages than deal with the fallout and delays that follow when fellow flyers drink too much, and it’s no wonder; according to the newspaper, Jet2 has had to boot more than 500 disruptive passengers since 2015. More than 50 of those bad actors have earned lifetime bans from the airline.
[Photo: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS]
It won't stop passengers getting tanked up in the airport before departure.
I thought international regulations generally prohibit passengers from drinking alcoholic beverages unless they are served by the airline (that means, technically, the airline could pour your own booze, but realistically, it means that most people would get it/buy it from the airline.