Originally Posted by
Often1
You are in the US from the time you enter US airspace until the time you leave it. That is not necessarily the same as whether some other country may also have jurisdiction over your actions. If you punch an AF FA after the flight is closed at JFK, you are still chargeable under US (and NY) law as well as under French law.
So how does that work on, say the French flight in terms of serving alcohol. I was always under the impression (while drinking on planes under the age of 21) that you were legally in the carrier's country when it came to rules for things like alcohol service, even when overflying countries with higher age limits and/or dry countries. In the US but not subject to their laws?