Originally Posted by
Andy_S
I'd suggest that allowing those sort of passengers to board - basically passing the buck to the airline - is extremely irresponsible. All the more reason for a crackdown. I don't pretend it would be easy, but looking the other way won’t solve the problem. It might take time, but if the message starts to get through that if you’re drunk and disorderly at the airport then you won’t be flying off on your holidays anytime soon then maybe these idiots might hold off on the drinking for a few hours.
And as I said previously, a blanket ban at the airport is likely to be ineffective. People who are determined to get wasted before they even board their flight will find other ways.
But at least then people who are wasted when the arrive at the terminal will be either refused check in or refused to pass through security. They won't be contained airside where it's harder to get them and their bags off and removed from the airport.
I don't condone letting drunks on to aircraft either, not one bit, but the sad reality, in the UK anyway, is that it is happening too often because ground handling agencies either don't have enough staff to properly manage gates, don't have tough enough staff to stand up to thugs and drunks or the airlines simply don't give their GHA gate staff the authority to deal with them properly.