Prospero

Folks, it is necessary once again to post reminder of our community standards, specifically,
For the good of the forum and our community, this behaviour has to stop.

orbitmic

Many do and many others sell 25cl or 50cl bottles for about the same as the BA inflight price. Cheap origins include Germany and Central Europe, and non-EU countries allow typically cheaper duty-free alcohol purchases (within EU is always duty paid).

BA is one of the few airlines allowing duty free alcohol to be consumed onboard so it shouldn't be an issue if you wish to do that. If buying before a LHR connection do not forget to ask for the purchase to be put in a sealed bag as you'll need to reclear security at LHR.

Personally, I'd rather BA chose to forbid the consumption of duty free purchased alcohol as I have experienced more cases of drunken behaviour on BA than on any other airline and I really think that the airline is not taking drunkenness onboard seriously at all and should.

ahmetdouas

I think that has to do more with the UK's 'drinking culture' than anything else.

orbitmic

I think both that and the airline culture, in the sense that I have seen BA crew serve alcohol to people who would have been firmly refused on many other airlines. The two are probably related in the sense that since drunkenness and the disruptive behaviour associated with it as more easily dismissed as painless laddish behaviour in the UK than in most other countries, I expect that BA management may be less encouraging to their crew to stop serving alcohol very early on compared to many competitors. Still, the results can be embarrassing at times.

Incidentally, now that serving alcohol on short haul route will become a profit centre rather than a cost, I can imagine things getting even worse on some BA 'holiday destination' flights, and it is something that I am awaiting with certain apprehension.

ahmetdouas

Do airlines have a limit of serving alcohol? Is it when people look obviously drunk?


I remember on a BA LHR-LAX the 'stag' duo in the row in front of me ordered about 6 G&T's each during the 10 hour flight by using the call button most of the time. The CC started getting frustrated towards the end but kept on serving them.

Ziz

And takeaway cups to avoid the £2.30 charge for a BA-issued one?

orbitmic

I think drunkenness is off limits but I'm not sure how precise some airlines are, and on BA, I have a feeling that 'obviously drunk' is indeed the point when many crew members will serve, except that of course, by that time, it is scientifically too late.

I have seen a memo sent to all crew on another airline explicitly aiming to tackle air rage and drunken behaviour. It mentioned such things as the fact that alcohol takes an hour to have most of its effect, the medically recommended limits for alcohol consumption on the ground and how they should be adapted in the air, etc. It also listed signs or behavioural elements (none of which would equate to 'obvious drunkenness) for which crew members should start reducing and then stopping alcohol service with very specific guidelines as well as recommended messages/manners to do it.

It was very comprehensive and I would say quite well done. I don't feel that I can give details as this was clearly meant as an internal document and BA can do their own research benchmarking, but suffice to say that either BA has not published a similar (or similarly effective) guidelines document, or if it has, it is being routinely ignored by crew because all the cases I mentioned where I feel that drunkenness should have been avoided had passengers very obviously passing those 'thresholds'. I personally feel that those guidelines make both passengers and crew safer and more comfortable and I have seen them effectively implemented by crew on that airline, sometimes easily sometimes to the protest of the passenger in question, but always successfully and always managing to avoid drunkenness to follow. I would add that the said airline certainly does not have a reputation to be mean in terms of serving of beer, wine, and spirits in all classes of travel.

And that airline is certainly not mean when it comes to serving beer, wine, and spirits in all classes so I certainly don't think that this is cost-cutting related.

Calchas

BA will continue until they decide it's a bad idea. I know at least one of our regular posters here has been told to stop drinking by the Captain ... I shall leave his identity a mystery

ahmetdouas

haha it is one thing for the cabin crew to ask the passenger to stop drinking, and a whole another thing when the Captain themselves ask!

lhrpete

However anyone who flies TK regularly knows the cabin crew are probably the strictest in the business where cabin safety and compliance is concerned.

miamiflyer8

+1,

Flight attendant physically dragged my earphones off my head during taxi.

Lefly

Are spirits/wine and beer considered the same regarding limit consumption guidelines?

ahmetdouas

Yes in Turkey the 'law' generally allows people in power to exercise more authority than in the UK. In fact, if I remember correctly, they did not even serve alcohol to some 'trouble countries' on TK fearing the passengers are rowdy enough as it is without alcohol!

I know I will be shot for saying this, but I fully 100% agree and believe that alcohol should be limited on planes to no more than 2-3 drinks per flight per passenger! Spirits obviously more stringently enforced than lets say champagne, as it would require quite a lot of champagne to get wasted.

Oh and CC not allowing passengers to mix their drinks too much!

I know its asking a lot, but with people being more and more stressed out, I feel drinking too much on planes is becoming more and more of an issue.

Back on Topic, if i was really introducing BOB, I would charge the spirits such as whiskey and vodka, while keeping things like wine for free with the food i would inevitably offer. I would rather pay 5 GBP more for my fare and have a proper meal on my Band 4's.

What Alex Cruz did is remove my band 4 meal completely without reducing my ticket cost. Basically he wants to have his cake and eat it!

miamiflyer8

I agree with your views

Aus_Mal

I wonder how many people will go for the champagne option!

Heidsieck & Co. Monopole, Blue Top, Brut - 375ml £16.00 / 2025 Avios