I'm definitely with the captain on this one. Sort it out on the ground, not on the air. A group of Tesco managers - how come they couldn't manage to all be sober when they got onto an airplane? Not too much to manage, says I.
Why do so many supposedly responsible folks (not just the ones in this case, but countless others) think getting on an airplane is a good reason to get smashed? Can't they forsake tippling just a while in the interest of the safety of themselves and others?
As others have pointed out, those fine managers made the captain choose between keeping them on the airplane versus violating CAA regulations and putting his/her career in jeopardy. Guess what the captain chose to do? Duh! Looks like Tesco doesn't hire the brightest people to manage their establishments (understatement of the day, says I).
--ev--