How Much Alcohol do you Drink in Business/First?
Jan 10, 2019, 12:01 am
#46
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: London/Oxford
Programs: BAEC Gold / ITA Volare Executive
Posts: 50
Jan 10, 2019, 1:21 am
#49
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: London
Programs: BA Gold / OW Emerald
Posts: 753
Short haul:
- Coffee only if it's early in the day
- 2 Small bottles of champagne if it's later during the day and I'm in CE.
Long haul:
- Before the first meal:
-- 1 Champagne
-- 1 Kir Royal
- With the first meal:
-- 1 Glass of white
-- 1 Glass of red
-- 1 Glass of port (with dessert)
(after that I nap / sober up for the rest of the flight)
Lounges:
- If it's early in the day, I'll stick to coffee only.
- If there's a good single malt or JW blue I'll have a couple of servings of that.
- If there's no good whisky I'll just get a couple of glasses of whatever wine or port I fancy at the time, or whatever goes well with the meal.
- Coffee only if it's early in the day
- 2 Small bottles of champagne if it's later during the day and I'm in CE.
Long haul:
- Before the first meal:
-- 1 Champagne
-- 1 Kir Royal
- With the first meal:
-- 1 Glass of white
-- 1 Glass of red
-- 1 Glass of port (with dessert)
(after that I nap / sober up for the rest of the flight)
Lounges:
- If it's early in the day, I'll stick to coffee only.
- If there's a good single malt or JW blue I'll have a couple of servings of that.
- If there's no good whisky I'll just get a couple of glasses of whatever wine or port I fancy at the time, or whatever goes well with the meal.
Jan 10, 2019, 1:38 am
#50
Join Date: Apr 2017
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 1,383
I do think there is some snobbery concerning drinking before and during flights. Someone having a good few drinks in J or F is just enjoying the hospitality, but consume the same amount in Y and you’re perceived as some kind of lager lout or security risk.
Jan 10, 2019, 1:40 am
#51
Join Date: Jun 2013
Programs: BAEC Gold/ All the AMEX Plat things
Posts: 195
Jan 10, 2019, 2:22 am
#52
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: England
Programs: BAEC: Bronze; Marriott: Gold
Posts: 399
Most of my flights are leisure these days (although myself and a collegue did once drink a full bottle of Aberfeldy in the Virgin Upper Class bar on a daytime flight from LHR to LAX).
If we're in a lounge with decent champers then I'll start with a couple of those, otherwise it would be a Vodka and Orange.
Once on board, more champers for the pre-departure drink, then a G&T once in the air.
If there's a bit of time before meal service then I'll have a second G&T.
White wine with the starters, red with the mains, port with the cheese (in F)
Finished off with a single malt as a digestive, then try and sleep it off for the rest of the flight.
If we're in a lounge with decent champers then I'll start with a couple of those, otherwise it would be a Vodka and Orange.
Once on board, more champers for the pre-departure drink, then a G&T once in the air.
If there's a bit of time before meal service then I'll have a second G&T.
White wine with the starters, red with the mains, port with the cheese (in F)
Finished off with a single malt as a digestive, then try and sleep it off for the rest of the flight.
Jan 10, 2019, 2:27 am
#53
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: London
Programs: Mucci Blue, BAEC Gold, Blockbuster Video card
Posts: 1,378
For me it's a mix of travel type (ie business vs leisure), departure time, and flight duration. Also whether a hire car is involved at the other end is naturally factored in.
So eg a LHR >> HKG or HKG >> LHR, where departure is likely to be fairly late and sector is 11 hours or so I am quite likely to be happy to have a few glasses. Maybe in the lounge, definitely on the flight. Frankly given how hectic my home life is since becoming a dad, if I am travelling for work, even if it's a tough-ish itinerary, I am quite happy and relaxed.
However eg LHR >> JFK, day flight, it'd be zero in the lounge and max 1 with food on the flight, and pre take-off bubbles probably declined. As I often take the morning flight and go straight to the office from the airport.
So eg a LHR >> HKG or HKG >> LHR, where departure is likely to be fairly late and sector is 11 hours or so I am quite likely to be happy to have a few glasses. Maybe in the lounge, definitely on the flight. Frankly given how hectic my home life is since becoming a dad, if I am travelling for work, even if it's a tough-ish itinerary, I am quite happy and relaxed.
However eg LHR >> JFK, day flight, it'd be zero in the lounge and max 1 with food on the flight, and pre take-off bubbles probably declined. As I often take the morning flight and go straight to the office from the airport.
Jan 10, 2019, 2:41 am
#54
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: Mexico
Programs: BAEC Gold / Marriott Platinum
Posts: 3,541
Depends on the time of day and my plans for the day after. If I'm arriving on a work trip then I'll have a couple of glasses of wine in the lounge and then onboard one or two with dinner, then head down for the night and sleep. If it is holiday or a non-work day, I'll have a little more. If I'm flying CE then will obviously have a bit more, but in ET I'm not going to shell out more than once the 4.60 for a bottle of wine. If I'm travelling with a friend, we may up the quantity a bit, but that's just the same as going out for a night.
Jan 10, 2019, 2:42 am
#55
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 7,464
Most of my travel (95%+) is for work and is mostly longhaul, so I will drink very little at all. I do not believe that my employer would be pleased if I was abusing their spend on J/F travel to get me to my destination in a relaxed, fresh and ready-to-work position by drinking heavily before or during a flight. I recognise others may be different, but if my employer is expecting me to be work-ready on landing, I personally cannot achieve that after more than one or two drinks (maximum). Considering my occupation, alcohol does have a direct impact on my ability to perform. Therefore, I may have a G&T before lunch on a day flight, but on a night flight I typically wont have anything at all - since I want to sleep. My drug of choice on night flights is a 50mg Nytol which gets me to sleep pretty quickly after take-off, particularly on short overnight sectors (e.g. from JFK/PHL to Europe).
For leisure, I will have a few drinks but maybe 4 or 5 maximum, since I don't want to end up blind drunk but enough on a long 12 hour flight to relax. Again, if sleep is on offer, that would be my go-to as opposed to staying awake and drinking.
I did see a gentleman once completely wasted boarding a flight from LHR to JFK in F, then the CC serving him more which I did think was unacceptable, but hey, who am I to judge
I do find it a little bit odd that those who say they drink a lot before or during a flight because it is "free" - it is a lack of self-control on their part drinking on someone else's dime, since they would not likely do that on their own dime.
Finally, I observe drinking culture being much heavier on BA that other carriers I use (CX, QR, LX etc). Being British myself, I know it is an unfortunate part of our culture.
For leisure, I will have a few drinks but maybe 4 or 5 maximum, since I don't want to end up blind drunk but enough on a long 12 hour flight to relax. Again, if sleep is on offer, that would be my go-to as opposed to staying awake and drinking.
I did see a gentleman once completely wasted boarding a flight from LHR to JFK in F, then the CC serving him more which I did think was unacceptable, but hey, who am I to judge
I do find it a little bit odd that those who say they drink a lot before or during a flight because it is "free" - it is a lack of self-control on their part drinking on someone else's dime, since they would not likely do that on their own dime.Finally, I observe drinking culture being much heavier on BA that other carriers I use (CX, QR, LX etc). Being British myself, I know it is an unfortunate part of our culture.
Jan 10, 2019, 2:47 am
#56
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: London
Programs: Mucci Blue, BAEC Gold, Blockbuster Video card
Posts: 1,378
Even professional wine tasters spit it out ;-)
Jan 10, 2019, 2:48 am
#57
Join Date: Feb 2014
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 263
I'm sure many here only drink what's offered to prevent waste, there is nothing worse than seeing good booze poured down the sink.
Last edited by Geo772; Jan 10, 2019 at 2:50 am Reason: Added more
Jan 10, 2019, 2:50 am
#58
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 7,464
But trust me, alcohol impacts my ability to perform, quite considerably.
Jan 10, 2019, 2:52 am
#59
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: London
Programs: Mucci Blue, BAEC Gold, Blockbuster Video card
Posts: 1,378
Jan 10, 2019, 2:53 am
#60
Join Date: Aug 2009
Programs: Executive club Gold
Posts: 61
I can’t get onto a plane unless suitably mellow and I won’t mix medication and alcohol so at least two glasses of wine in the lounge, I’ll try for a little more if short haul as it’s a smaller plane and no pre take off offer.
On the plane, one or two pre dinner drinks (plus pre flight champagne on long haul) then maybe the same again with dinner, I’ll generally have a final glass after dinner. Always wine, never spirits.
our first first was my only inflight hangover, Jesus that was bad. We had an amazing crew who felt we should generously sample the wine list! The drive from Seattle to Whistler was a painful one, thankfully I was not the driver.
I’ll be in the lounge at 5am this weekend necking wine, if you see me please don’t judge, I love flying and traveling but claustrophobic and it’s the only way I can do it! Our longest flight was 13 hours and I did top up around the midway point which is unusual for me but if it works it works ��.
All of our our flights are leisure, so there’s no need to be well behaved beyond social politeness.
On the plane, one or two pre dinner drinks (plus pre flight champagne on long haul) then maybe the same again with dinner, I’ll generally have a final glass after dinner. Always wine, never spirits.
our first first was my only inflight hangover, Jesus that was bad. We had an amazing crew who felt we should generously sample the wine list! The drive from Seattle to Whistler was a painful one, thankfully I was not the driver.
I’ll be in the lounge at 5am this weekend necking wine, if you see me please don’t judge, I love flying and traveling but claustrophobic and it’s the only way I can do it! Our longest flight was 13 hours and I did top up around the midway point which is unusual for me but if it works it works ��.
All of our our flights are leisure, so there’s no need to be well behaved beyond social politeness.