True, which plays a large part in my preference for seats with direct aisle access. :D

My company recently adopted a policy that discourages working in airplanes or other public areas where proprietary information could be potentially be exposed, so this really is down time for me. A couple cocktails with dinner, a movie or reading followed by a nap is my preferred method of enjoying a long flight.

I'd love to drink heavily. Unfortunately, as I have been flying mostly AC on my longhauls this year, the wine selection certainly doesn't encourage it. AC doesn't carry what I would consider premium spirits either (e.g. no Beefeater or Tanqueray) so after a drink or two, I get heartburn. Honestly, I think on the flights out of North America, people are drinking less than in previous years. It's a trend in the workplace as well. When I first started working, people from the office would head out on Fridays to a bar and get bladdered or when flying, would drown themselves in booze. At the office now, people dash of to the gym or home etc.
I only fly J on longhauls and most pax don't over do it. On the other hand, I've been on some flights to certain destinations (e.g. florida during springbreak, or EU to Thailand) where the pax are drowning in the booze. Considering the cramped legroom on flights now, I do understand why some pax need a few drinks. It dulls the pain.

If heavy drinking is a concern there is always the Egyptair or Saudia option. Mind you, after an hour sitting on one of those planes, you just might want to become a heavy drinker.

pollution control; professional tips
 

Agree with those who say a drink or two or ten makes the process less stressful, but also don't want to be so polluted I can't think quickly when IROP or Shena N. Iggans rears her ugly head.

Professional-strength tips for 24-7-365 use here: http://www.ModernDrunkard.com

I am a moderate drinker whether on terra firma or aloft. Wine with dinner, perhaps a port or brandy afterwards which is not much different than when at home. An exception will be made if a good scotch is being offered and I might have one on the homeward leg of a long business trip but never on the outbound journey.

Getting plastered on an airplane never made much sense for me. Feeling like crap when you land isn't worth it.

As I've mentioned in other threads, I spent part of my childhood in Saudi Arabia, where the expat schools end after 9th grade. Consequently, you'd have a huge influx of expat kids in the 15-21 year age bracket into the country during school breaks. Certain routes (Dhahran-Amsterdam-???, for example) where very popular, and you could expect all of coach to be filled with kids, many of whom knew each other. To say it was a party was an understatement.

I remember one flight where my best friend and I were sitting toward the back of the plane. By the time the drink cart got to us, our choices were something disgusting (Cointreau?) and something equally disgusting. But when you've been swiping your parents moonshine for your entire vacation, anything with an actual label seems like an improvement.

(Oh, and woe to be the kid whose parents dilly dallied on booking flights and who got stuck flying Saudia.)

I'm with you.

Yeah, I'll have a drink if it's free. Which doesn't happen that often these days, since I mostly fly Economy. One or two drinks is the maximum - I don't want to be drunk when I land and have to figure out a strange airport/public transportation system.

Most of my flights this year were early morning departures and no matter what time is, there's always someone having having a beer or two before boarding at HEL. I guess it's a "going on vacation" thing for some people, but I would rather have coffee at 6 am.

ah yes, I remember when I first started working (late 70's) and I had a client that would take me out to 2-3 Martini lunches (while I was 21, I held my liquor reasonably well) after which I had to present to the President of a division a Fortune 500 company. I guess I was cogent and they became one of my company's largest clients so it must not have been an impediment.

There are agressive drinker, jovial drinker, I'm a sleepy drinker. A few glasses will make me sleep so much better, which is a major advantage on a plane.

I don't know. I'm not a drinker, so . . . I'm happy with my Diet Coke and chamomile with honey. As for others, as long as they are not obnoxiously drunk, whatever.

ahem... may I suggest that most people in this thread, on FT and general flying public do not know what 'heavy drinking on flights' is?

If you'd like to experience this, get on one of charter flights going from Russia to Egypt or Thailand.

... or join me on a LH First Class Flight ;)

Do people on LH's F start fights once airborne? Russian airliners have database on about >2000 people who become intoxicated and started beating other pax/FA during the flights. Vast majority of them are from those charter flights.

Nope. But I consider 3 bottles of Louise + half a bottle of JW Blue still "heavy drinking" ;)

When I saw that HEL was the departure point, it reminded me of the boat ride I took (many years ago) from Stockholm to Helsinki--lots of Swedes and Finns ride this overnight boat just to drink, they are escaping the high liquor taxes in their home countries, all prices on the boat are duty free.