pinniped

Funny...I thought this thread was going to be about the quality or type of alcohol on the plane. Which airlines have an utterly undrinkable wine list, which ones think warm Miller Lite is "beer", etc.

On one hand, I don't think booze will ever disappear from flights - mainly because the competitors that offer it would likely attract much more high-yield J/F traffic than the competitor without it. On the other hand, the airline industry has become much more cartel-like in many parts of the world, so I suppose they could all get together and stop offering it en masse.

Virgin would give 'em all the finger, of course.

pinkcat

haha, perhaps its all the teachers that are boozed up on the plane, I know I partook of a few on the LHR-SFO this week as an Easter break celebration !

BigOrangeTerp

Yeah, I can't see it happening either. A route like JFK - LHR has plenty of carrier options. If they all cost about the same for F, most people are gonna go for the carrier that gives you high end wines and spirits with your steak.

Perhaps they'd stop offering them on more captive routes, e.g. DFW - SCL.

Badenoch

I couldn't care less too. But there are self-righteous, judgemental people who need to bolster their own self worth by seething in quiet condemnation of the people around them. That's their problem not mine.

From the safety of their keyboard they come on websites to seek support for their viewpoint but lack the nerve to say anything directly to someone. Insecure, self-righteous and timid is no way to go through life. Better to have a few drinks now and again and MYOB.

Calchas

Wait what?


I think you need to find another airline.

JohnK

I hardly ever have a drink at home.

I have lounge access. Drinks are free. My international flights are for leisure. I will have a drink before, during and after the flight regardless of the time. I will usually drink Gin and tonic and/or Bloody Mary's on board and these are not my usual drinks but I do enjoy drinking them. Beer if my favourite but tends to bloat especially in the air.

I try not to overdo it.

striider

I am drunk right now. So be it.

HarryHolden68

Fantastic - a man (or woman) to my own heart.
But, speaking when you are drunk results in you making the best speech you ever regret!

mandolino

Imagine they removed all the booze and took it off the price of a ticket.

A better idea?

mandolino

Many of those people you see in lounges are between stressful meetings, frantic rushes to the airport, frustrating queues with rude security staff and a stressful onward flight, probably won't get home til late.

A few drinks in the oasis of the lounge is one of those small pleasures that keeps the likes of us going, and the wheels of industry turning.

pinniped

Yes, because the airline industry has such a good track record of taking away amenities and immediately reducing airfares by that amount.

FallenPlat

Sometimes, you know, over-indulgence is justified, even necessary. Some years ago, for example, AA was imprudent enough to offer Chateau Lynch Bages 1995 in business class. No one but me, so far as I could tell, understood the true magnitude of our collective good fortune. So I drank it.

RustyC

+1. Why, look at how they're passing on savings from lower fuel costs these days.

And what about flights where they charge for drinks in back, like ones to HNL? Those can be every bit as miserable if not more so than international ones, so maybe someone takes the "strip club" approach and tanks up in the parking lot because the drinks inside are too pricey (also done a lot before going to discos in places like Singapore)

I remember a series of flights I did back in 1996 on DL when I had just put together all the pieces for self-driven bookings (on easySABRE). On one trip it was ATL-CVG-MSP-SLC-LAS (3 day stop) -LAX-CVG-ATL and upgrades on every segment, then onward to tables with even more free drinks. A real potential liver-pickler if there ever was one.

JW76

I have to confess a weakness for free champagne. I once drank almost an entire bottle of Tattinger Millesime 2006 while waiting for a flight from Heathrow. I mean, its free, and once you get going on it, why would you stop? I just wish they still had caviar in First to complement the drinks.

AtlanticX

Only if you conflate 'value' with 'cost'. Just because it's more drinks, that have a higher price, doesn't make it automatically the best value for you.

(Any flier knows this, instinctively. The best value flight is not the priciest flight. Quite the opposite, often.)

In my case, if I drank 5-6 drinks during a flight, I'd likely feel completely miserable the next day. Very poor value proposition over the 1-2 drinks, which would make me feel good and relaxed during the flight.