DUT

Is this 4 drink limit in reference to the pre-departure beverage service?

😜

DUT

jrl767

what PDB service? (maybe I missed something?)

CalanMan

Lordy, I hope they're taking you in that wheelchair to the Uber/Lyft pickup or train station instead of the car rental in that state!

Soon after the merger, I had a pmVX FA in F SFO-SEA, who was pouring with a VX-heavy hand that I wasn't expecting and wound up giving me 3 doubles over the 90-min flight. (In my mind 2 was totally safe for that flight, but 3 should have been fine. I wouldn't have even considered 6!) I didn't realize the depth of my mistake until I stood up to deplane. I think it's the only time I've ever actually used the handrail on the jetway. I was commuting and had to work the next day. Oops!

Definitely didn't drive myself into town that night.

_fx

Just hit this rule too. Asked for a beer after 2 doubles and was told there was now a 4 drink limit (but they'd give this last one to me).

FA blamed the FAA (aka lies). Stupid rule IMO. Cut people off when they're acting drunk, not based on an arbitrary number.

EDIT: This was in F on a transcon.

dayone

No, stop serving before they are acting drunk.

nearlysober

Indeed - by the time someone is showing signs of intoxication, their body is still processing the last few drinks (depending on speed of intake) and will continue to get drunker.

I always prefer FA's to be direct and give us the real data instead of making up rules blaming the FAA or some non-existent policy. We're all grown-ups, they should just tell us they're being over-cautious and therefore cutting us off. It's something that not only FA's, but bartenders in general in the US, need to get comfortable saying.

When they make up their own reasons, excuses, blame the FAA, etc - it's just inconsistent messaging and frustrating.

I'm an "experienced drinker". I know my limits. I know what kind of drunk I am.
But the person serving me doesn't know these things. And given the current issues in the skies, I wouldn't blame them for being precautious.

ziggy29

Not only that, but bartenders have the primary job of serving drinks to patrons. FAs have so many other jobs to do as well. For a lot of reasons, then, I can see why they would want to just use some "magic number" as to when to call it quits -- even if we know some people can handle (say) 5 drinks in 3-4 hours and others might get wasted on only 2. The real aggravation, as I see it, is a lack of consistency and honesty as to why someone is being "cut off". If you hear it from five different FAs, you shouldn't get five different answers as to why, or what the "policy" is.

Brianblanco

Does anyone really need more than 4 drinks on a flight?

PV_Premier

I actually believe that they should publish a maximum number of drinks per person. It would allow everyone to know exactly what to expect. I would rather an airline say "one drink per person, per hour of block time" than take the WN approach of "no soup for you!" regardless, or worse, put FA's on the spot for deciding what each person's limit should be.

In my opinion, one drink per hour of block time, to a maximum of 4 drinks per flight, would be a perfectly reasonable limit and one that would not negatively impact the experience of 99% of passengers. Most people do not drink more than 2-3 drinks on a flight anyways. And for those that do, this is an airplane, not a distillery. And I say that as someone who really, really likes to drink.

MSPeconomist

Does AS have flights scheduled for less than sixty minutes of block time? Alternatively, what rounding rule should be used? If it's a 3:59 flight, can passengers have four drinks? What about delays and flights that take longer than normal flying time due to routing/weather?

Eastbay1K

Need? No. Want? Frequently. On a transcon or longer midcon, I don't think it would be hard to judge someone for having two with the meal, and two later in the flight.

The discussion shouldn't be about need, because unless there's a medical reason for needing the alcohol (oh, maybe need an immediate blood thinner - I'm, not playing MD here, just thinking why one could possibly need the booze), no one needs booze. Unfortunately, an ever increasing number of bozos that probably don't like to wear masks are the same ones that are misbehaving with booze onboard, taking the joy out of flying for the vast majority of us.

Furthermore, not all booze is created equally. I'd vomit from the cream in the Baileys before I'd imbibe enough to intoxicate me, while if you served me a triple (rum/vodka/whisky/tokillya/gin) on an empty stomach, I'd certainly feel it. And typically, the gin is nearly 20% stronger than most other distillates.

For the time being, I'll probably stick to my cans-o-wine.

CalanMan

Many. All over WA, OR, AK, and even some up and down CA are <60min.

simonsuo

oh my, earlier in the year (before July), I usually have 6-8 drinks for each transcon, and west-coast flight is around 4 drinks.

There was only one time on a transcon F:
Me: Can I have one more bourbon?
FA: I'm out of bourbon,
Me: I'll have the Jack.
FA: I am out all whiskey actually.
Me: I'll have a gin then.
FA (started walking but stopped and said): Actually I'm out of gin too.
Me: What about a beer?
FA: I'm out of that too.
Me: Okay, do you have a bloody Mary?
FA: Yes, the last one I have.
(I was genuinely thinking she was out of drinks, but later I think she wanted to cut me off lol, fellow passengers on the flight mostly didn't order drinks at all)

How am I gonna survive this? Oh right, I do have the lounge membership, and so far haven't heard any enforced drink limit in AS lounge. Have to fuel up before and after the flight then.
Having said that, on my most recent trip from ANC, the FA enforced 1 free drink rule when I was in coach. Asking for a double was denied.

vanillabean

I belong to those 99%. Even if my wife got her four drinks that she wouldn't touch anyway, we'd probably bring six to the hotel room, for one per night.

On a recent flight after the service has completed the first round, I walked to the back for a bathroom followed by asking for one of those small bottles. Which row do you sit in? Six (I think it was, PC). Single or double?

PV_Premier

way to take the hint and put the FA in an awkward spot.