Stag Do's - How far can they go?

[Cejkovice]

Recently I have experienced the worst ever flight as a pax. Simply because I was crammed into a B738 along with 3 stag parties. (For those of you that don't know a stag do is a lot of blokes drinking a lot of beer before their buddy gets married).

Not only was the noise absolutely intense from shouting and swearing and these 'grown' men took great pleasure from throwing papers and cups around the cabin, but there were some potential safety concerns too.

It's no surprise to know I was flying Ryanair (although I imagine that this happens on other airlines that take these people), but I had to sit and watch these drunk distruptive guys pulling on the handles of the overwing exits and laughing about it! Yes I know that these exits cannot open when at altitude, but still it is not what you want to se, although with the amount of noise and distruption at that time I really did want to get out of the plane!

You have to also ask why these people drunk people were allowed to sit on an emergency exit aisle in the first place??? I don't imagine that they'd be very effective at opening the doors in an emergency.

What made me more upset was seeing Ryanair crew serving these drunk guys more alcohol....they even brought out an extra buy 2 for the price of 1 offer on spirits, which they were quickly mixing with their beers! I know it is all about profit for airlines, but you have to draw the line somewhere.

So my question to the flight crews, are you often aware of the chaos in the cabin on these flights, and if so at what stage do you land the plane and have them locked up?

Cejk

[eal401]

I have to say that the two times I have travelled in such a group we were either well behaved during the flight, or I was sat away from the rest! ;) No, seriously, never been guilty!

However, the worrying comment relates to the crew continuing to serve them with booze. I suspect on a full fare carrier this wouldn't happen, but do lo-co's not have "sales targets" for the cabin crew to meet?

[FlapsOne]

eal401

Complete nonsense about targets and that being any reaon whatsoever to continue serving booze.

In the case quoted, it's FR's problem.

For all the rest, the rules are identical to the high fare/expensive plastic meal carriers.

If they're drunk - stop them getting on. If they 'get past' then do not serve more booze. If they cause serious trouble - divert. Any problems can be dealt with by the police on landing.

For heaven's sake, stop suggesting that alcohol problems are the invention of the low cost carriers - it just ain't true!

[cheer up]

No sales target at easy but there is at Ryan:ok:

[Quidnunc]

One of the problems with low cost airlines is that all the poverty stricken uneducated revolting masses can now fly for the price of a weeks dole money. Even Liverpudlians can get on an aeroplane these days! It's disgusting.

Having said that, what were you thinking of flying with Ryanair? What did you expect? Try a proper airline next time and you should be OK.

[eal401]

Fair enough FlapsOne, just wondering what would make cabin crew in this instance continue to fuel the problem.

[vfenext]

Here Here!! Whenyou pay £20 for a flight then expect a £20 flight simple as that. FR is THUG AIR by another name!

[eal401]

FR is THUG AIR by another name!
Yeah! Close them down and sack all the pilots and cabin crew!

Wouldn't that be better?

:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[peterbuckstolemymeds]

<snip>
"One of the problems with low cost airlines is that all the poverty stricken uneducated revolting masses can now fly for the price of a weeks dole money."
<snip>

Wow. And completely without any sense of irony whatsoever... horrifying.

<snip>
"...what were you thinking of flying with Ryanair? ...Try a proper airline next time and you should be OK."
<snip>

Gosh, seat me as close to the "stag" party as you need to... just - please - keep me away from this poster.

- PeterStoleEm

[Cejkovice]

you ask why I flew Ryanair......

Well I had never flown with them in the past and the flight was a new route which was very convenient for where I needed to get to…I have now learnt my lesson and doubt that I could put up with this type of drunken behaviour every time I need to fly there, which is unfortunately over weekends which is just the time these groups go! I do like a drink myself, but really think excessive drinking needs to be kept off aircraft.

[FlapsOne]

eal401

Simple answer.........they were/are complete idiots who clearly did not have even a basic understanding of the rules and regulations concerning drunkeness on board an aircraft.

It's FR's problem, they need to fix it.

[eal401]

they were/are complete idiots who clearly did not have even a basic understanding of the rules and regulations concerning drunkeness on board an aircraft.
OK FlapsOne, are you talking about the pax or the crew? :p

Sorry, couldn't resist it!

[PilotsPal]

One might be tempted to take some discreet photos - particularly of the antics around the exit doors - with a view to passing them on afterwards.

It may be the cabin crew thought they'd be less trouble with an ample supply of alcohol. However, one should be fair and not castigate only stag parties - the hen parties can be much, much worse.

[MerchantVenturer]

The best 'cure' I saw for one of these obnoxious groups was about ten years ago when my wife and I returned one Sunday evening from AMS to BRS on board a KLM Cityhopper Saab 340.

There were about a dozen of them (not that young either for such behaviour, mid 20s to mid 30s I would say). Their language was appalling and when I gave one a withering look I received a torrent of abuse. The lone female cabin attendant was helpless and one of the idiots stuck a leg out as she passed him to try to trip her up.

The best bit though was to come. We had been told about strong winds and as our tiny aircraft neared its destination it began to buck and bounce all over the place. The effect on the boorish group was instant. They immediately became quiet. One in the seat behind us was heard to cry out, almost in tears, "I hate bloody flying, what's happening?"

I looked around at the one who had given me the verbals and he didn't look at all happy.

Turbulence must be one of the best remedies for yobbishness.

When we got into the terminal several of the group were met by wives/girld friends. The men were as meek as can be with them.

My other pet hate on flights is male golfing parties. They are often middle aged but their behaviour can be as juvenile as much younger stag groups.

[eal401]

Turbulence must be one of the best remedies for yobbishness.
In your position I'd have been laughing my backside off!!

[TightSlot]

Apologies for raining on your parade. ... Even Liverpudlians can get on an aeroplane these days! It's disgusting.
Although unintended (I hope) this statement has caused offence to a number of Liverpudlians, who have in turn contacted the mods. May I ask you all to think carefully before posting this kind of comment, as the effect achieved may not coincide with that intended.

No, this is not a joke. Yes, I am serious. No, you may not post a series of hilarious witty responses.

Congratulations Liverpool FC - What A Game!!!!!

[lexxity]

Just my two-pennethworths but lts stop all large groups travelling, put a limit on the number of them who can travel together, say 5tops, easier for everyone that way.



Is it obvious that I deal with these groups all the time?:oh:

[PAXboy]

The thread asks, "How far can they go?" My guess is, "Until someone dies, or is so seriously ill in hospital that it cannot be kept out of the papers."

I am not making any quesses as to how this might come about but base the prediction on the well established history that mankind allows a difficult situation to 'slide' until it become a dangerous one and then allows it to 'slide' again until it falls off the edge and breaks.

For example,the ship Herald of Free Enterprise in 1987 and various sports stadium disasters, all of which could have been averted and where acountable mistakes were made. Often with specific warnings ignored - such as the London Kings Cross tube disaster (also 1987).

In conventional commercial life, it is still cheaper to wait for a disaster and then repair it and pay compensation. For airlines it can be differrent. If someone dies onbaord from alcohol poisoning, then the carrier is not going to suffer too much and will continue to carry the groups - albeit with a little bit more warning. That means, ensuring that all blame is minimised!

As the drunken group cannot access the flight deck, they ought not to be able to endanger the hull and, for as long as that continues to be the case, the airlines will take the bookings.

Cynical? No, just based on 48 years of observing the human race!

--------------------
"I tell you, we are here on Earth to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you any different." Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

[Omaha]

Whoa heavy there Quidnunc, very heavy & I thought I was considered tactless! :uhoh:

My bosses stag is in Amsterdam in September. Gawd help the plane crew & Gawd help Amsterdam, neither, I guarantee you will ever be the same again. :ugh:

[surely not]

I didn't think you drank Omaha? Good to see that you have decided that a bit of hell raising is in order, you normally post very moralistic tales on here.


I see no reason, other than commercial profit, why passengers should be allowed to board an aircraft whilst drunk to the extent of causing upset to others, nor do I see any reason for cabin crew to continue to serve alcohol to groups that are already getting loud and upsetting to others.

I am not suggesting the aircraft has to be as quite as a morgue, but I do not subscribe to the modern notion that ill behaviour can be excused by the phrase 'we're only havin' a larf'. Self control and self accountablity seems to be less common these days and the world is not a better place for it. IMHO

[captainbritboy]

Stag do's on the continent have proliferated in the last three years thanks to the budget airlines offering a value for money alternative to London, Brighton, or the village hall. The most popular at Gatwick are Germanwings to CGN, Estonian to TLL, Centralwings to KRK, and Easyjet to many other interesting destinations. The RyanAir Service to Dublin is popular, as was the BMI Baby service before it was axed. I have seen grown men dressed as everything from chickens to Elvis, and, as recently as yesterday, I witnessed about twenty guys dressed as sailors checking in on a flight to Tallin. Hen do's are just as popular, and anyone who moans about being on an aircraft with a stag party... just thank your lucky stars it wasn't a hen party!

The trend seems to be that all the participants wear matching polo shirts/T shirts, with their nickname/handle on the reverse, such as 'Gazman', 'MooseMagnet', 'Big Dick' , etc. Also seems to be a trend for titles such as 'Bride's Mum', 'Brides best mate', 'Brides neighbour', etc.

This does not appear to be the preserve of the 'Chavs', who until recently could never have afforded air travel, moreover, there seems to be no class divide here. Yesterday's sailors were all middle class chaps with professional jobs.

As for the issue of the serving of alcohol, this should be at the discretion of the purser/IFS/CSD, who should be held responsible in the event that his action compromises the safety of the ship.

Jonathan.

[spiney]

Most drunken mob I've ever seen on an aircraft was back in good old Air UK days (sadly missed) - a BAe 146 ABZ-AMS... Bunch of flight attendants in civvies on a training jolly? to AMS took out the last two rows at the back, (handy for the Galley) and were on the Bucks Fizz from when the wheels went clunk... They'd obviously been giving it large in the bar and simply continued on the a/c. Extreme hilarity fuelled by continuous supply ensued, and the on-duty cabin crew simply added to the party. Bad news - shocking turbulence into AMS for the last 20 mins of the flight - excellent... They may well have drunk the bar out of Bucks Fizz, but they also managed to fill most of the honk-bags on board...

[reynoldsno1]

I see no reason, other than commercial profit, why passengers should be allowed to board an aircraft whilst drunk to the extent of causing upset to others, nor do I see any reason for cabin crew to continue to serve alcohol to groups that are already getting loud and upsetting to others.
There is another reason - it's illegal....:hmm:

[Omaha]

I didn't think you drank Omaha?
I don't though I still may try it at times as I did at a Spanish tapas restaurant the other night when I sampled some Sangria. Wasn't the worst though didn't quite appeal to my tastebuds.

Being a teetotaler doesn't mean one is a stick in the mud, it just means one doesn't drink. :rolleyes:

moralistic tales
Huh. :\

[Pandora's Box]

I fly for bmibaby and the crew absolutely dread friday night Prague's.

If a pax smells of booze and is walking, well lets say not in a straight line, then they dont even get past the front door and if their mates kick off about this... then they dont get past the front door ethier!!

As regards to serving them more booze.....sometimes its just easier to serve them booze, rather then been shouter and sworn at...it serves for a queit (so to speak) life. And as for sitting them at emergency exit rows...you have know choice when you only have a aircraft full of men on stags, but if push came to shove, im sure they would have that exit opened in a second!!

[OZcabincrew]

Hi!

I'm crew on a full fair, premium carrier and i have been lucky enough not have experienced a stag party etc and wouldn't want to. However i know the airline i work for has a zero tolerance attitude towards drunks and more importantly safey. Anyone jepardising safety will be dealt with accordingly!

The joys of flying with a low cost carrier, i would hate to be crew with one of those airlines! Thank god there's none of them down here in Oz, there are two low cost carriers down here, but luckily i don't think majority of the Australian passengers act up as they know there would be trouble.

Oz

[Getoutofmygalley]

Hello!

I am cabin crew with easyJet at LGW. I can honestly say that the vast majority of pursers that I have had the pleasure to work with will NOT allow drunk passengers on a flight.

I was recently operating a AGP-LGW and there was a drunk pax who did manage to get onto the aircraft (acted sobre on boarding) but his behaviour went down hill once he found a seat - so we off-loaded him. He was travelling with a fairly large chav party who all kicked off, but we as crew stuck to our guns and said that he would not be allowed to travel. The chavs didn't like it and started to swear to which my response was 'if you talk to me like that one more time, you will not be travelling at all' - The chavs response was to sit down and shut up.

Also recently, I operated two LGW-BCN flights, both of which had stag parties on them. The first BCN stag party was a well behaved jolly affair, and we as crew could join in the merriment with the pax - this was appreciated by the stag who said that it was the best flight he had ever had....

.... The next days BCN stag party was a different affair - 22 guys all badly behaved, foul mouthed and constantly out of their seats and standing in the aisles making lude remarks. When one of the group commented on the beer that we had, saying that it was a crap brand I replied by saying that unfortunately as a lo-cost carrier we don't carry a large selection, his reply was 'Lo-cost? f***ing lo-cost?, you call your self f***ing lo-cost?, I paid over a £100 f***ing quid for my f***ing ticket' my reply to him was a severe rebuke for using innappropriate language and I said that if I hear any more abusive language he will not be getting anything else to drink. His mate than started up and started swearing so I said to him that if I hear just 1 more swear word, nobody in his party will be getting anymore alcohol. From that point onwards, they were much better behaved and we didn't hear any more colourful language from them - although we did get the captain to turn the seat belt signs on around about 15 minutes early so that we could clean up the cabin and get some rest :E

[Jordan D]

Trust me - some of this pales into comparison at some of the rubbish I have had to put up with as a paying passenger on the train between Edinburgh & Newcastle .... the stuff of nightmares. I've learnt - and advise anyone else the same - if you are travelling south from Scotland, avoid Friday afternoon- to Saturday Afternoon, except the first Saturday trains. Some of these groups (and its usually the Hen parties) treat the other passengers like :mad: :mad:

Jordan