Rowdy passengers in brawl on Ryanair flight

[Thaihawk]

This reported of a Ryanair flight from PIK to TFS today on the Evening Standard website,

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/ryanair-fight-blood-splatters-across-plane-cabin-as-two-men-brawl-in-row-over-woman-not-wearing-shoes/ar-BBUTg67?ocid=spartandhp

2 things need to happen as a result of this.

1 Those allegedly involved arrested and detained.

2 Should any of those present themselves at the check-in for their return flights they are told in no uncertain terms they will not be allowed to fly, and they have been banned from flying with Ryanair for life. Other airlines should also refuse them carriage. How they get home is their problem.

[El Grifo]

Why oh why do they keep serving them booze until quote "they were very drunk"
Ryanair staff are culpable in this situation !

El Grifo

[Johnny F@rt Pants]

Why oh why do they keep serving them booze until quote "they were very drunk"
Ryanair staff are culpable in this situation !

How do you know they weren’t illicitly drinking their own alcohol. I suspect this is a more likely reason, it’s amazing how many empty bottles of duty free turn up during the cabin tidy.

[Callsign Kilo]

Why oh why do they keep serving them booze until quote "they were very drunk"
Ryanair staff are culpable in this situation !

I’d say there’s a high probability that they were drinking their own alcohol. You’d be amazed at the lengths some passengers go to in order to do it. The cabin crew can’t police everyone and nor should they have to.

[DirtyProp]

Next item to be added to the MEL:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cattle_prod

I wonder how it's going to be certified..... :E

[El Grifo]

Yep ! Drinking their own alcohol !
That would be it
Cabin Staff blameless !!
Totally illegal, but hey !

El G.

[Hotel Tango]

The only solution is to do precisely what the OP suggested. Make sure that these IDIOTS never fly again!!!

[bumpy737]

Did Ryanair charge the other passengers since they were able to witness this fighting event? :}

[Callsign Kilo]

Yep ! Drinking their own alcohol !
That would be it
Cabin Staff blameless !!
Totally illegal, but hey !

Must be great living in a life where everything is black or white? You're correct, drinking their own alcohol is illegal; do you think these idiots care one iota? Do you think they are consuming it so blatantly that everyone and anybody will see? I have been involved in so many of these types of incidents, thankfully the majority brought to a much more subdued outcome, that I've lost count. Its become an endemic part of society and unfortunately for crew it becomes their problem to manage. Whilst I'll agree, not everyone can be blameless and some can handle situations better, I very much doubt this crew kept plying people with vast quantities of drink on a 4.5 hour flight.

[Heathrow09L]

Is that what air travel has come down to? Carrying low life common scums.

[El Grifo]

Well for sure it has with Ryanair !
Dragged down to the depths !
El G.

[what next]

Yep ! Drinking their own alcohol !
That would be it
Cabin Staff blameless !!
Totally illegal, but hey !


"Totally illegal", I don't know. There are dozens of places in a large airport terminal where they sell you as much alcohol as you want. Only a little sign next to the cash register tells you that your purchase must not be opened before you arrive at destination, usually in English language only. So yes, illegal maybe, but things that are "totally illegal" must be brought to people's attention a little better than that.
Mind you, I once sat next to a high ranking officer (in uniform) belonging to the armed forces of a very large country of the western hemisphere. During the flight he emptied a one litre duty free bottle of burbon by diluting the coke with it that they were serving him... No one dared tell him how totally illegal his action was! The worst about it was the he didn't offer me any...

[Nightstop]

Drinking one’s own alcohol onboard is not illegal, but it is against Company policy. Until the Law changes there’s nothing you can do about it legally..

[racedo]

Ban sale of Alcohol in airports and on planes. If you wish to buy alcohol the airline will have it ready for you to collect on arrival. This would actually make a huge difference as no more carrying of a couple of hundred kilos of booze on flights.

[Auxtank]

Appalling behaviour - life-time ban for total lack of respect for the etiquette required for flying as a passenger.

Obviously us pilots can continue to behave disgracefully. :}

[Pilot DAR]

Drinking one’s own alcohol onboard is not illegal,

In Canada it is:

Alcohol or Drugs — Passengers

602.04 (1) In this section, intoxicating liquor means a beverage that contains more than 2.5 per cent proof spirits.

(2) No person shall consume on board an aircraft an intoxicating liquor unless the intoxicating liquor

(a) has been served to that person by the operator of the aircraft.......


...............

[hans brinker]

In Canada it is:

Actually it is only illegal to serve oneself. Legally, you can bring your own and have the flight attendant serve it to you. Most airlines prefer to sell/serve their own drinks, and have that as rule in their OM

[Pilot DAR]

A fine line, but I see the nuance. I imagine that a flight attendant would refuse to handle or serve alcohol not owned by the airline. Refusing to serve it to the passenger owner of the alcohol creates a dilemma of "I won't serve it to you, nor return it to you, I know that you own it, but I'm keeping it for now.". I can see an argument arising out of that. Best avoided entirely by insisting on serving only airline alcohol.

The next line of the same regulation reads:

(b) where no flight attendant is on board, has been provided by the operator of the aircraft.

Though not a factor on a commercial flight, this was a problem when I was crew on a corporate Piper Cheyenne, and the people in the back brought booze aboard, and got terribly drunk, while we flew. The Captain and I declared that we served zero booze, we were flying. The drunken passengers asserted that they were the "operator", and as it was their corporate aircraft, that was a little hard to argue back at them. Ultimately, the wise corporation declared that people onboard were "working", and as such may not consume any alcohol, so it was banned entirely from the plane, though as said, but company policy, rather than regulation.

[stevef]

Don't open airport bars until 11.00 to stall this sort of behaviour. Simple.
If the tattooed shorts-and-T-shirt-clad morons needs five pints of lager at 05;00, then they won't be fit to fly. They could be blocking my exit in an emergency, never mind causing anti-social cabin problems.
Not going to happen though, is it...

[what next]

I imagine that a flight attendant would refuse to handle or serve alcohol not owned by the airline.

To a first-class or business-class passenger? Of course she (or he) would not refuse. I fly bizjets and we have had customers who only want to drink certain types of Cognac that cost nearly 500 Euros a bottle. No airline serves this kind of stuff, not even in first class. So if they want to have it they will bring it themselves. Also in Canada.

[El Grifo]

I concede !
Totally illegal to carry on and serve drink to yourself !
If you can cajole or convince a member of the cabin staff to serve it for you, then it is not illegal !

El Grifo

[His dudeness]

"first-class or business-class passenger? "

That´d be a new one at Ryanair....

[Herod]

I believe there is a concerted move (today's Times) to pack alcohol purchases at the airport into bags that require a knife or scissors to open. The theory is that since no knives or scissors can get past security (!), the passengers won't have access to the booze until landside at destination. Not before time.

[Steepclimb]

I might be accused of being racist although I am Irish but the flight did originate in Glasgow.

You know it has a certain reputation......

Yes mods ban me for suggesting Scots might be excitable. Given we Irish are as pure as the driven snow with alcohol taken.
Plus you English who never drink much.

[oldpax]

Racedos on the right track.If you must have "duty free"have it presented at the destination on production of your receipt.Why oh why do people have to (a)get drunk before a flight?(b)feel the need for alcohol all the time unless they are alcoholics? When I was working away quite a few of us would meet at a certain terminal bar and have a couple of pints as our destinations were more than likely alcohol free countries but we were never rowdy or caused fights.Think its just a generation thing like tattoos and funny hair styles maybe eventually people like this will change!!

[Pilot DAR]

Yes mods ban me for suggesting Scots might be excitable. Given we Irish are as pure as the driven snow with alcohol taken.
Plus you English who never drink much.

I'll let it slide just this once, as my heritage is Scottish, and I wouldn't want to seem excitable...

[WingNut60]

I'll let it slide just this once, as my heritage is Scottish, and I wouldn't want to seem excitable...

As Patrick Cargill (the Scots doctor in the Blood Donor sketch) said; "We're not all Rob Roys, you know".

[FlightlessParrot]

Ban sale of Alcohol in airports and on planes. If you wish to buy alcohol the airline will have it ready for you to collect on arrival. This would actually make a huge difference as no more carrying of a couple of hundred kilos of booze on flights.
On-arrival duty free sales are normal in Australia and New Zealand, partly for reasons of economy and safety. So one would only have to end departure duty free. But I doubt that it will happen--commercial imperatives are imperative.

[srjumbo747]

Funny that there’s a waypoint near Glasgow called ABEVI!

[ChicoG]

Ban sale of Alcohol in airports and on planes. If you wish to buy alcohol the airline will have it ready for you to collect on arrival. This would actually make a huge difference as no more carrying of a couple of hundred kilos of booze on flights.

That's a bit like saying "close all the pubs because people get drunk and occasionally fight in them".

How about enforce the existing law which makes it an offence to be drunk in public, and an offence to serve alcohol to someone who is obviously drunk?

I'm a tad mystified because in the report it states:

"Once the plane landed and more alcohol was consumed..."

[meleagertoo]

It is not illegal to consume your own alcohol on a UK flight, or any othere European one afaik. However it is, I imagine, against all airlines' Ts and Cs so by extension doing so after a warning could be construed as failing to abide by the lawful commands of the Captain.
Dury Free, however is quite different.Bear in mind that people tend to call anything bought in the terminsl as 'duty free'. Of couse it isn't in Eu and domeatic flights, it's just discounted a bit. Real Duty Free is covered by Customs regulations that are law, and you aren't allowed to open it until through customs at the other end.

[DB6]

Not really news, is it?

[racedo]

Actually it is only illegal to serve oneself. Legally, you can bring your own and have the flight attendant serve it to you. Most airlines prefer to sell/serve their own drinks, and have that as rule in their OM

Hand bottle to unconnected passenger next to you, they didn't buy it and they serve you and hand you back the bottle. You then do same for them. Simples.

[PerPurumTonantes]

The courts don't seem to understand the threat to safety. A "brawl" at FL310 is a bit different to one outside Revs on a Friday night.

Fine of a grand and ban them from every airline for 5 years.

[racedo]

I might be accused of being racist although I am Irish but the flight did originate in Glasgow.

You know it has a certain reputation......

Yes mods ban me for suggesting Scots might be excitable. Given we Irish are as pure as the driven snow with alcohol taken.
Plus you English who never drink much.

On a flight 18 months ago where went to a Republic of Ireland football game in Europe joining Irish mates who drag me along, flight back the pilot announced no alcohol would be served as he figured everybody had already had their fill over the weekend. Probably a decent idea under the circumstances as lots of sore heads already, lots of water was being drunk though and lots of sleeping.

Landed at Gatwick and when waiting for gate Pilot came on and just said "To the Irish Football fans, from my crew and myslef we want to say Thank You, you have lived up to your reputation, it has been a really great pleasure having you on board. We were not expecting such an easy flight." That got a big cheer and singing until we got to the gate.

[Tankertrashnav]

Ban sale of Alcohol in airports and on planes. If you wish to buy alcohol the airline will have it ready for you to collect on arrival. This would actually make a huge difference as no more carrying of a couple of hundred kilos of booze on flights.

Been saying that for years. I survived many long flights as pax on RAF Transport Command with nothing stronger than instant coffee or weak orange squash. Never going to happen of course, the aviation industry has a vested financial interest in flogging drink to passengers as they hang around in airports.

[.Scott]

Yep ! Drinking their own alcohol !
That would be it
Cabin Staff blameless !!
Totally illegal, but hey !

El G.
It's part of pilot training not to use alcohol. And part of that argument is that the effects of alcohol are exaggerated with the higher cabin altitude.
So pilot are forewarned - but passengers are not.
Until passengers are alerted to this, we shouldn't be too critical when they loose control.
No one should expect that the amount of alcohol that they can handle at ground level will be the same as when flying.

[hoss183]

Trouble is 99.9% of us know how to use alcohol responsibly, you can't blame the CC or ban it altogether because of a small minority. Just have to prosecute and ban these idiots

[treadigraph]

Ban sale of Alcohol in airports and on planes. If you wish to buy alcohol the airline will have it ready for you to collect on arrival. This would actually make a huge difference as no more carrying of a couple of hundred kilos of booze on flights.

Article in Flight 35 years ago (https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1985/1985%20-%202246.html) by the excellent and sadly late Anthony Smith...

[ph-sbe]

Trouble is 99.9% of us know how to use alcohol responsibly, you can't blame the CC or ban it altogether because of a small minority. Just have to prosecute and ban these idiots

Scrolled waaaay too long for this.

[Lantern10]

^100% there.
The rowdy ones should never get on a plane again.

[Gauges and Dials]

Yep ! Drinking their own alcohol !
That would be it
Cabin Staff blameless !!
Totally illegal, but hey !

El G.

Drinking your own alcohol is not per se illegal in the US. Legally, you can only drink alcohol that is served to you by a crew member, and you cannot be drunk. I know of at least one airline that says it's fine to bring a bottle on board, give it to a crew member, and ask that they serve it to you. And I know of a couple of airports in the US where concessionaires sell beer and wine that can be taken out of the premises (i.e., to your gate).

[Chris2303]

Drink your own on NZ flights is forbidden under the sale of liquor act.

Only ship's supplies served by a crew member can be imbibed

Failure to comply can involve the removal of the licence but I'm not sure whether it is just for that airplane or the whole fleet of that airline

[Gauges and Dials]

Quick poll as to the extent of the problem: About how many times per year to you need to remove a passenger from your aircraft due to drunkenness?

[Imagegear]

How many times do passengers buy their bottles of water and duty free, nip in the loo, dump the water and refill with Vodka (or similar clear hooch) before walking on board.

Who's going to stop somebody drinking water?

Holding the duty free until the flight lands seems the only way to me.

IG

[Load Toad]

It's part of pilot training not to use alcohol. And part of that argument is that the effects of alcohol are exaggerated with the higher cabin altitude.
So pilot are forewarned - but passengers are not.
Until passengers are alerted to this, we shouldn't be too critical when they loose control.
No one should expect that the amount of alcohol that they can handle at ground level will be the same as when flying.


Oh the level of naivety.

They know very well how much they are drinking & how drunk they are getting that's exactly why they are drinking so much.