Alcohol in airports review

Soldato
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Why does this even need looked in to? It's not a problem. Just people looking to keep themselves in a job I guess.
This country is pathetic.
Flying would be far less tolerable, if I had to board the plane sober. At least after a few wines, I can sleep whilst the plane is stuck on the runway for hours.
 
Associate
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Flying to Majorca last year at 36,000 feet and all of a sudden loads of alarms go off and the stewardesses run to the back of the plane. It turned out some drunken p head had taped up all the smoke detectors in the toilet and then decided to have a cigarette. Its not a good feeling when you hear alarms at that height, but the Captain came onto the tannoy and said if it happens again he'll have the police waiting at the airport. Was this officially reported? I don't know. If I was the Captain I would have had the police waiting regardless.

To digress however, I like a pint or 2 before I fly as it calms me as I don't particularly like flying..
 
Soldato
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It would be a good thing. Despite the problems associated with behaviour it would also drastically reduce the potential for the development of DVT problems on longhaul flights. Inactivity + dehydration are already occurring to then add further dehydration is pretty daft in my opinion. I would expect the unseen health benefits for frequent travellers would be quite profound.
 
Soldato
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That's just the reported ones though. I bet air staff see it day in day out.

Just reminds me of the scene from The Wolf Of Wall Street where Jordan flies to Geneva. Although that's with drugs involved rather than alcohol.

I'd post a video of the scene, but i'd rather save myself from getting banned! :D
 
Soldato
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Just reminds me of the scene from The Wolf Of Wall Street where Jordan flies to Geneva. Although that's with drugs involved rather than alcohol.

I'd post a video of the scene, but i'd rather save myself from getting banned! :D

Its ok don't worry everyone was paying particular attention in that film ;)
 
Soldato
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They still serve alcohol on flights though so it seems ironic to me that it could be banned from airports. :confused:

Presumably they don't give enough for you to get drunk though.

This review sounds like an overreaction like most things related to air travel. I'd have thought they already stop drunk people getting on flights.
 
Soldato
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But on what criteria do you determine if someone is drunk? Where do you draw the line and how?

It doesn't need to be a quantified number.

Leave it to the judgement of staff. It's hardly a legal matter, but entry to a private place.

If I show up drunk at work I'll be sent home.
 
Soldato
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It doesn't need to be a quantified number.

Leave it to the judgement of staff. It's hardly a legal matter, but entry to a private place.

If I show up drunk at work I'll be sent home.

No it does need to be quantified. On what basis do you or anyone determine that someone is drunk. 1 Pint? 3 pints? 2 vodka shots? 4 vodka shots? 7 ciders ?

It's just so subjective. You could have a maniac who is sober and a priest who's had 10 pints but you can't make a judgement unless you see a behaviour change.
 
Soldato
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My impression of the announcement was also that they are looking for a way to control things better, rather than a blanket ban on alcohol.

The biggest blame probably lies with airport bars. If they can see people getting heavily intoxicated, then they shouldn't be serving them. I realise that rarely gets enforced anywhere in the country, but maybe in somewhere like an airport it should be. They could also limit what drinks are on sale, as I'm sure they don't need to be selling shooters which the likes of stag & hen do's will thrive on. If they really wanted to restrict it, they could make you show your boarding pass to buy a drink and only x amount of units per person, but I'm sure that would be taking things too far.

With the duty free type alcohol you can buy from the shops, they could introduce something similar to the US, where you buy it from the shop, but it's not actually given to you until you get to the gate and board the flight.

The airport lounges would obviously have to be changed as well, as if you have access to them, there is plenty of free alcohol on hand.

It does seem like it would be unfair on everyone given how few incidents there are really, but I'm sure if they just didn't serve drinks to loud rowdy groups, there would be less of a problem in the first place.
 
Caporegime
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Alcohol leads to crying in the airport

not my own work said:
It’s been a while since we’ve had a good GBS thread about crying in the airport, so without further ado here’s a brief list of various airports I’ve cried in, along with a brief summary of the crying incident and my review of the experience. Feel free to chime in with your own reviews and experiences about other airports and remember – it’s okay to be frank about your feelings, in the crying at the airport megathread.


Auckland, New Zealand:

Not much to say about the airport in Auckland, New Zealand. I only visited briefly and broke down crying before even making it past security, because I heard a big father yell at a small child in a way that reminded me about my own childhood and how my dad always yelled at me. Basically my father always thought I was a disappointment. I took a cab to the airport and the driver was really nice and his accent reminded me of Flight of the Concords, which is my favourite band. Anyway I had a good cry and a lady behind me in luggage check line in asked me if I were okay and I nodded and wiped my eyes and said yeah and that made me feel brave. I’d stopped crying before I made it to the front of the line. The lady at the counter was very nice and helped me reattach the little green destination strip to my suitcase because it’d come sort of loose when I put it on. I had a cup of coffee in the airport bar, and saw another man crying there but I had to board before I could talk to him. The architecture is unexciting but the planes go high enough up I guess.
Score:

Singapore Airport, Singapore

Had an 8 hour layover in Singapore while flying home from Borneo. Had about 20 minutes of quality crying time in a lounge area that overlooked the main terminal, but I was interrupted by a Russian family quarreling really loudly in an adjacent sofa. I could not cry loud enough to drown them out and eventually I gave up and went away. Singapore is an exceptionally clean city, which is reflected by their airport which is also very clean. It is also known as "the Lion City" and if you go there please remember that to Asians it is apparently frowned upon to spit in the street, to ask a hotel maid if she likes you and to cry in the airport, if you are not discrete about it.
Score:

Hamburg Airport, Germany

CRYING MACHT FREI! Ha ha, just a little twisted SA humor about Hitler and the holocaust, to lighten my review about crying in airport at Hamburg, Germany. Having in Hamburg for business for two weeks, I broke down in tears at Hamburg airport when a security guard asked me to step into the full body scanner and I saw an attractive german security lady smirk at the naked picture of me on her screen. Personel on site was extremely swift at escorting me away from the scanner after I started to cry, and one of them offered me a blanket and some advice in German. All in all I found that the old saying that germans are efficient, to be true. I also found that crying in a German airport is considered a sign of extreme weakness and I am pretty sure they put a mark in my passport about it. I would cry in Hamburg airport again, if I found myself there, but would not necessarily travel to Hamburg for that experience alone.
Score:

John F. Kennedy International, NY US.

Haha oh boy this was a big one. I debated whether or not to even include ‘ole JFK in this thread, since technically I was already crying before even making it to this particular airport.In the airport, I noticed that all the little food and coffee places after security were all staffed by bored looking black girls. I, crying very hard at the time, attempted to engage with a couple of them in small talk while purchasing coffee and scones, but most of them were rudely formal with me, calling me “sir” and going to great lengths to avoid meeting my gaze when I handed them money. I think my experience in this US airport reflects a “macho” culture that is specific to America which, among other things, says that it is not “okay” for a crying man to ask for one of those fat people taxis. Had a real good cry at JFK and although I wanted to die at the time, for unrelated reasons, the coffee was very good none the less .
Score:
 
Soldato
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As a non drinker I obviously have a very one sided view on the availability of alcohol at airports and airplanes.

Personally I have never seen any issues at airports, but a number of issues on planes, my last being a few days ago.

I was on a flight from New York to London and the guy in the seat opposite mine from the moment he boarded was requesting alcohol continually. Mainly whisky (British Airways).

Over the course of the next hour he got hammered, and finally fell asleep. I drifted off myself about 3 hours into the flight I guess, and woke up with this guy going ballistic because he had vomited all over himself in his sleep.
He was being aided in his cleanup by a sad looking hostess.

Unbelievable.

This 'need' that some people have to hammer as much of the 'free' alcohol on a plane makes my mind boggle. There is simply no need for it. Nerves, anxiety? Take medication.......
 
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