It could have been worse.

You could have originated in SEA:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/14441099-post60.html

I don't drink at all. Well unless I'm in Munich...who would miss a chance to have a proper beer in Munich?

Seriously though....I'd be under the table if I drank one rum & coke. I would probably be vomiting after 3. I wouldn't expect that the FA would know that about me though. And no offense, but the FA has no real idea as to what someone's upper limit is either just based on their guess as to your height/weight. So I think she handled quite well. She can't very well take the chance that she guesses the wrong way and you end up getting hammered and obnoxious. By that time, it is too late to get the alcohol out of your system and the flight has an issue since they are 35,000 feet.

Now had she flatly accused you or stated, "...you seem to be getting intoxicated" you surely would have been put off by that too. Right? So should they utilize breathalyzers on board just to be certain that some pacs get served right up to a certain threshold? Not saying you were or would end up being a rowdy drunk, but c'mon...other than tracking the number of servings per flight (or sitting at the Skyclub), I don't really know how they can be expected to handle this. As a non-drinking pac, I'd rather they not roll the dice and hope that they've guessed correctly and that the pacs wanting more and more booze don't end up being obnoxious, or worse, dangerous (e.g. beer muscles at 35,000 feet).

It's impossible to expect the FA to know your level of intoxication (or lack there of) on a flight, the only think they can do is judge by the amount they personally served you. However its quite possible that before getting on the plane and consuming the 3 drinks - you were at the bar drinking before the flight. It doesn't sound like this was the case here, but it happens A LOT.

Most establishments have specific guidelines around # of drinks consumed within a specific period of time, and typically requires a waiter/waitress to notify management before serving drinks over that limit.

Seems like the FA was giving you a 'heads up', if the FA refused the 4th drink completely then you might make the argument that she could have been lazy. She did in fact serve and then provided the notice that it was the last drink. If you really wanted a 5th drink you could simply ask and then let her make a judgment call then.

Says who indeed. Unless the OP was showing signs of intoxication, there is no reason to cut him off.

Tough call. On one hand, there is potential liability by serving too many drinks if there were any kind of an incident. There's no liability for the FA to refuse you another drink. I'd say she took the safe, easy way out. On the other hand, you weren't overly intoxicated, or at least not to the point of air rage.

I think I would write to Delta just to discuss it with them, not to complain particularly, or write up the FA, just to see what they say.

When I first read the topic title, I thought perhaps the Senate had nothing better to do and that Dianne Feinstein was trying again to get a 2 drink limit in the sky.

Paging Thomas Hudson... :D

So I was curious about the drink-limit idea, and did a little Googling. I see that in the UK, the doctors want to limit alcohol onboard aircraft, to protect people from DVT...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/ar...-DVT-risk.html

The article adds: "The World Health Organisation is about to begin a four-year study on DVT and alcohol, with the first results expected within a year."

I've been cut off. And I have seen someone beside me get cut off. And I have seen FAs over serve people, myself included. The truth is an FA will be able to spot signs of intoxication before anyone else. Regardless, the FA has the authority. Of course, if the OP didn't like the situation, I suggest he get up and leave. Watch that first step.

Just like a bar, there is an issue of liability. Get off your plane, get into your car, and get into an accident, and the lawyers will come after Delta.

I couldn't help but notice the irony that LBJ has the next post after this. But fortunately, this LBJ wasn't opining about what is best for you!

No way to say "meh" to the above, oh, SO BINGO!

I would like to add that although alcohol is available on airplanes, airplanes are not bars, and they are not for "getting full." There are too many factors at play here to even touch on. The risks of an intoxicated and unruly pax impacting 130 or 150 people are not worth taking against the relatively small benefits of one pax who believes that he can handle more than the person serving that pax feels comfortable with from his/her experience of serving thousands of people over a long period of time.

My all time favorite comment from a very nice FA...
"Congratulations sir you have finished the whole bottle of wine" :D

(MSP to west coast flight. I guess I was the the only one drinking the red wine on that flight)

Forget about what happens in the air -- If I were a FA, I'd be equally concerned about what happens when you get off the plane and get into your car (rental, own, or otherwise). They don't know what you had on the previous flight, what you had at the SkyClub, or what you had anywhere else. While 4 rum and cokes in 3 hours wouldn't cause me much harm, I know plenty of people that shouldn't be driving a car after that. I think the FA made an ok call here, and I applaud the OP for letting it be instead of challenging it (which would only reinforce the FA's decision, BTW).

Lightweight...

Is it better for the FA to decide when enough is too much or the pax who is drinking? Not saying the OP had too much (in fact I don't agree), but I'd rather err on the side of giving FA's judgement and then putting up with the few times it annoys me.

Otherwise this board will be full of posts about the drunken banana bandit wearing a DYKYIA shirt and a Diamond crown on his head...

I had a FA from ATL-CZM ask me if I was driving when I ordered my 4th drink. I laughed and told her I'd be taking a cab with all of my buddy's back in Y who weren't drinking but that they would be shortly after we got to our resort. :D

I've had at least a half dozen drinks ATL-MSP on a flight back in January. I gave the FA a Job Well Done cert. I was getting picked up at the airport when I got home so I had no qualms about how many drinks I had. Besides, I weigh 220...or at least that's the weight I compete at...I'm normally a few pounds heavier.