It is part of the British culture, there's no doubt about that. Only the Scandinavians can be compared to the Brits. However, on the routes in question we're talking about people going off on their well earned holiday. In my opinion they have every right to. I certainly drink when I go on my holidays. I usually fly long haul when I'm away so I don't go mad but it's a great way to relax. The overwhelming amount of people on my flights, even the slightly loud/overexcited, people are well behaved and just enjoying the start to their holiday. That is why the holiday routes are generally my favourite.? I think the issue is generally being blown out of proportion. Yeah you can have your bad flights but in my experience they are few and far between.