Passengers Banned From Drinking on UK Flights
Jackie Reddy March 20, 2019
In an effort to combat the number of disruptive incidents in the cabin, travelers will now no longer be able to consume their duty-free alcohol while flying. This new ruling has been introduced from World Duty Free and will see spirits and alcohol placed in sealed bags that cannot be easily opened.
Under new rules, UK passengers will no longer be able to consume duty-free alcohol in the cabin. This directive has been introduced by World Duty Free, the travel retailer that operates the bulk of the duty-free shops within British airports, The Week reports.
The move is being seen as a method to curb and combat the increasing number of disruptive alcohol-related incidents at airports across the United Kingdom. According to information provided by the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), “2016 saw the highest number of disruptive passenger reports for the past five years. There were 418 flights in 2016 that had one or more disruptive passengers.”
This, it states, is a 100 percent increase on the figure from 2015.
As for more recent figures, the outlet reports that, “Data from the Civil Aviation Authority showed that 422 serious incidents of air rage were reported in 2017…”.
The Independent adds that, when sealed, “Bags are strong enough that passengers would need to use scissors or a knife – items that are banned in hand luggage – to open them.”
The latter outlet reports that the bags come printed with a label that reads, “Do not open alcohol purchases until your final destination”.
Offering their comments on these disruptive incidents to The Times, a spokesperson for World Duty Free said that they, “…can be serious for fellow passengers, employees working in the air and at the airport.”
[Image Source: Shutterstock]
Here’s a better novel idea: collect the bottle upon returning back to the country, immediately after passport checks. Otherwise, leave it gate checked to cargo and return them with the strollers upon disembarking the plane at destination.
I've seen these bags. You can rip them open with just a finger to stretch the plastic.
What a ridiculous headline. Passengers are certainly not "banned from drinking" - they are "banned from drinking duty free alcohol that they bring on the plane themselves".
How can World Duty Free put rules on what you can do with your purchase after the transaction? As long as airlines are not in on this, how can it be enforced?
Without having seen the bag, I'm confident I could open it using a coin and a hard flat surface. Probably the edge of a credit card instead of a coin will work as well. If you're already drunk when attempting to open it you might have a problem, so maybe the measure is more adequate than I initially thought...