Hi Flyertalk,

I was just wondering what are the official rules regarding closing the bar before closing. I took today Emirates first class flight from Colombo to Dubai. About 55 minutes before landing I wanted to have some cheese with red wine. I was told they could only serve me the french one as bar is already closed (and I wanted to have the australian one, which I been drinking the whole flight). Do they really close the bar so early as captain has not annouced approach, nor were the seatbelt lights on?

My guess was that since me and a fellow passanger already finished one bottle of australian one and there was an open bottle of the french one, they did not want to open a new bottle just before landing as they knew a lot would be wasted. If that's the case, I felt the service is quite "cheap".

Does anyone know official rules?

It sounds like you just got a bad FA. I've had top ups during the descent in the past.

Cheers,
Rick

Timeline (minutes before planned landing, not including ATC delays etc.)

-:50 Pilots advise purser to start final preparations
-:30 Pilots make final PA
-:20 Seatbelts on

Part of the final preparations is to dump all opened bottles of alcohol in the toilet. So perhaps your bottle already went down the drain at that time. Otherwise I'm sure they would have offered it to you.

FlyEK
The wine down the bog rule-is that general or specific to EK?
Cannot imagine TG FA's pouring away the remaining Cognac and 2000DP (if my wife had left any) 30 mins before landing.
Incidentally,slightly off track, we have taken off still grasping half glass's of DP in the past!

I just wonder how this works on 1 hour flight to Kuwait or Bahrain as then they basicly have to close bar before even really taken off?

Also in some other flights I been filled the glass when captain tells crew to sit down for landing, so I guess this varies and I have once sat with DP bottle next to me while landing :-)

And I had a very strick purser on the Colombo flight. In general I feel male pursers a bit more relaxed.

Maybe they'd run out of your wine and didn't want to admit it?

It's general.

Most countries customs laws do not allow an open bottle of alcohol which the aircraft is on the ground with doors open. Some countries enforce it better than others. But since the fine the airline pays is in the vincinity of $10,000 per incident, they don't take the chance.

Oh I've seen them pour the whole crate of opened bottles about 30min before landing. Good thing I was there to swipe a glass of dom before the whole thing went under

I always wonder why they just dont ask the pax who's been drinking a certain wine etc, if they would like to have a refill. The quite often pour the drinks away and once you ask after that, they just tell sorry we already poured it away...

Most of the FA's are really nice......... there has been atleast a time or two when I asked the FA and she gave me a bottle unopened at the end of the flight.

What a waste! So you guys are saying that if a bottle of blue label is opened and only one drink is poured they will need to dump the rest down the toilet before landing? What a waste....

Which countries enforce this rule?

Why not just give the bottles to the people in Premium cabins?

I would imagine that bottles of spirits would be closed, and as they CAN be used again, are stored in the bars and locked/sealed. Bottles of wine wont "keep" so have to be disposed of before landing.

In some airlines holding on to your glass for landing is a no-no as it could smash or become a missile in the event of something going awry.

To the OP

Seems odd that they told you that , I've been served drinks on the descent as well as had my glass during both take-off & landing so maybe this was just a one-off issue ?



Wow , never thought of doing this but might try it next time .... esp if I'm on the A380 as they had some real good bottles

Cheers

Can anyone confirm what countries enforce the open bottle rule & also if it applies to Spirits?

Same happened to me on LH in first, I was told not to rush and did I want more, I was sipping DP during the whole of the take off period.