Looks like the Government are considering changes to the rules where you can drink round the clock at airports.

I fly a lot with work in Australia and NZ and it doesnt seem to be such a thing as it was in the UK. I was always surprised by people would even want to go toe to toe with a Stella so early in the day.

I am sure that budget aircrews and ground staff are crossing their fingers this happens!!

Drinking before and during a flight is a stupid idea.

It should just be banned. Then you wouldn’t have to sit next to a fat pissed business man acting the end of a bell.

Agreed – the thought of lager at breakfast time makes my toes curl. No wonder Brits have such an awful reputation abroad.

And what if a drink doesn’t turn us into a drunk, fat businessman? 🙄

Then you wouldn’t have to sit next to a fat pissed business man acting the end of a bell.

youve been up the front of the plane with the paperclip salesman too?

Haven’t they been periodically suggesting this for years?

I’m going on holiday on Saturday. Our flight is at 9.30am. At approximately 8 o clock I guarantee that Mrs Binners will take a photo of me sat i Manchester Airport departures with a dirty big grin on my face and a pint of Stella in my hand. This will then be plastered across Friendface etc, to piss our mates off because they’re stying in Manchester an its raining, while we’re going somewhere hot.

We don’t have an option of doing this. Its the law.

Hey… I don’t make the rules…

Domestic and euro maybe but for long haul your 5am is my evening

I always assumed that people who’ll drink at 7am pre-flight were just nervous flyers, but it seems some people just associate flying with going on holiday and going on holiday means you need to be drinking morning, noon and night ‘because it’s all part of it’.

I was on a flight with a rugby club. Not the players just supporters / load mouth gammons

of some local team from Horsham.

6 am and paralytic. On take off the jumper on my lap was deemed a hazard whereas being unable to stand up is OK.

If you are drunk you shouldn’t be allowed on the plane.

Maybe if people spent their time more constructively on their own self-improvement… maybe by honing their ability to be sniffy, condescending, self-righteous and sanctimonious, they wouldn’t feel the need to drink, and could just sit and wallow in their moral superiority instead?

Is it still going to be ok to have a drink in the Airline Lounge? Because I’ll be quite upset if I can’t have my Kir Royale prior to boarding.

“Get some in!”

i am very much in the binners camp here, or i always have been. but im beginning to waiver. dont really see the point any more. i would skull 2 maybe 3 in departures, another couple on the plane. then have to endure a long PITA transfer and arrive in resort feeling terrible.

also flying for business duties takes the old shine off airports, and sharing them with giddy package holiday punters on the pop aint fun.

Drinking before and during a flight is a stupid idea.

Agreed.  It means I need a wee on the plane and the toilets are nasty.

Drinking is fine. Being drunk is definitely not.

There should be a “drink flying limit” like there is a drink driving limit. It could be say 3x the drink driving limit, as you’re not having to actually drive anything, just be compos mentis enough to understand safety instructions and not act like a dick.

If airline staff suspected you of being over the limit they could ask airport security to invite you to take a test. If you refused the test or failed it you would not be allowed on the plane.

That would be too complicated though, so it will probably have to be prohibition and all the civilised people who enjoy a drink without causing problems will lose out so that the dicks who drink to excess can be prevented from doing so.

If you are drunk you shouldn’t be allowed on the plane.

Not sure anyone would disagree with that, and that could be the rule.

However, many people, like Binners, like me, will have a pint (a pint) at the airport because, well, yes, because we can and it’s a novelty, and it’s the ‘official start’ to our holibobs. Banning all drinking is a bit of a sledgehammer/nut solution.

they wouldn’t feel the need to drink, and could just sit and wallow in their moral superiority instead?

Some of us do both. 😎

I’ve hardly ever seen anyone drunk up at the pointy end. I’d even go so far as to say that those of us with access to an open, ‘free and self service bar before a flight drink waaaaaaaay less than those outside paying a fiver a pint for shitty lager.

Airport bars can, and should, already enforce the laws around drunken behaviour. If you’re pissed, you’re cut off. Simple. Airlines can, and do and should, deny boarding to anyone who’s drunk. Apparently someone was denied boarding on my flight to Las Vegas last week.

The last real drunkenness I saw was in PE to Moscow a couple of years ago. Scary.

I’ve hardly ever seen anyone drunk up at the pointy end.

Just the occasional pilot?

I always assumed that people who’ll drink at 7am pre-flight were just nervous flyers

In matching orange t-shirts saying “Shag’s stag 2018 beer boys on tour nervous flyers. Ledg!”

And what if a drink doesn’t turn us into a drunk, fat businessman?

So, what’s the point of drinking?

I’ve hardly ever seen anyone drunk up at the pointy end.

That’s because you’re wearing your Bose boor-cancelling glasses.

It’s all dollar for the airport and and the airlines tho innit… I have a friend who used to be cabin crew on a budget euro hopper airline. They used to to flog their own wares to the lairy’s for extra cash!!

Maybe if people spent their time more constructively on their own self-improvement… maybe by honing their ability to be sniffy, condescending, self-righteous and sanctimonious, they wouldn’t feel the need to drink, and could just sit and wallow in their moral superiority instead?

The irony loop in this is hurting my brain.

Is it too early for shots? 🙂

Maybe if people spent their time more constructively on their own self-improvement… maybe by honing their ability to be sniffy, condescending, self-righteous and sanctimonious, they wouldn’t feel the need to drink, and could just sit and wallow in their moral superiority instead?

This gave me teh LOLs.  Looks like its target didn’t even get it.

I find I can’t fly without at least a couple of shots of whisky to calm my nerves. If they ban early morning drinks I may have to reconsider my pilots job.

Steward to me:  Would you like some wine with your breakfast

Me to steward:  It’s a bit early in the day thanks

Steward to me: Yes but we should have be flying yesterday afternoon, it’s only breakfast because of the delays we’ve had.

Me to steward: I can’t fault your logic, I’ll have a glass of red please

That’s because you’re wearing your Bose boor-cancelling glasses

properlol

It isn’t just a British thing, though I think the national self-flagellation is.

I worked for a large manufacturing company that used to fly in our customers from individual countries in for product launches. The Scandinavians were on another level. They make the ‘English Abroad’ look like a group of old ladies sipping a sweet sherry.

One Friday, about 11am, I hear what sounded like a coach load of football hooligans. The Norwegian lot had arrived, they staggered off a coach fresh from Manchester airport. They were all absolutely paralytic. Literally falling over pissed! There were 18 instead of 22 of them, as the rest of them hadn’t been allowed on the flight as they were deemed too leathered to fly by the cabin crew. Most of them then fell asleep through the product launch then headed into town to enthusiastically re-commece drinking.

And the Russians… sweet baby Jesus and the orphans!!! You’ve never seen drinking until you’ve been out with some Russians. I think they just drink 24/7

Spent several years working throughout Europe & the States & Binners is right, it’s far from an English thing.  In fact, it was far more prevalent elsewhere 10-15 years ago.

I had no idea there was such a thing as a ‘breakfast daiquiri’ until one early flight out of Detroit Metro – transpires it’s simply any daiquiri drunk before 10am – which was an internal to JFK.

Will this apply to cross channel ferries also ?

Seem many a traveller on an early morning crossing hit the bar for a few Stellas before getting to Calais only to jump straight into the drivers seat!!

Spent several years working throughout Europe & the States & Binners is right, it’s far from an English thing. In fact, it was far more prevalent elsewhere 10-15 years ago.

Landed in lax last year, by the time I got to the delta lounge to find there were no showers I happily had a few pints passing the time, I certainty wasn’t alone and it was about 8am though we were all certainly on about 6 different time zones in there.

I have a friend who used to be cabin crew on a budget euro hopper airline. They used to to flog their own wares to the lairy’s for extra cash!!

I didn’t realise I could ask for ‘extras’!

I do find a cold pint of Guinness slips down quite nicely at 6am.

If you think the British in airports are bad, for God’s sake don’t get on a Baltic Ferry from Sweden “to” Finland or Estonia. I put the to in hyphens as the actual purpose of the ferry is to get as preposterously drunk as it’s possible to do so, without actually* dying rather than any real destination. It’s like Ragnarok and the apocalypse rolled into one long sesh. and it’s all ages and genders from International waters until the booze runs out.

The alcohol consumption would shatter any illusion that Brits abroad have any place on the top table drunks.

* just feels like it.

I didn’t realise I could ask for ‘extras’!

Cathay Pacific…

One thing that worries me about drinking is people necking it before getting on a redeye, and the going straight to their car after a couple of hours sleep at best. Yet another reason I have a driver! I’m in no fit state to drive off a redeye!

The usual small minority cause problems let’s punish everyone pish . When I fly with Mrs irc her timekeeping issues mean we are airside with an hour to spare. So a pint of beer with my breakfast is one of the small pleasures of holidays.

If drunks are a problem deal with them not everyone else.

How big a problem is it I’ve never noticed any problems.? Maybe I fly to the wrong places?

It’s the law isn’t it. I’m on holiday in a couple of weeks, and I’ll be in the bar at Gatwick airport at four in the morning.

Shutting the pubs won’t help, everyone who wants to get pissed will just buy a bottle of spirits from duty free.

I put the to in hyphens

Those are speech marks. Have you been drinking before punctuating, sir?

It’s my legal right to have a beer before holiday. It’s the only time I can go somewhere and get a proper fry-up at breakfast time and a nice* pint of ale on the side.

*- this may be overdoing it for the average British airport bar, but still.

But as noted above, there’s a hell of a lot of self-flagellating going on at the moment. The government telling us that we use too much plastic, that we drive too fast, that we drink too much. It’s almost as if they’re trying to distract from something… Like their own piss-poor record in government and, for example, cyclists protesting in Manchester because police cuts mean they keep getting mugged and their bikes stolen

There should be a “drink flying limit” like there is a drink driving limit. It could be say 3x the drink driving limit, as you’re not having to actually drive anything, just be compos mentis enough to understand safety instructions and not act like a dick.

If airline staff suspected you of being over the limit they could ask airport security to invite you to take a test. If you refused the test or failed it you would not be allowed on the plan

It already is the law…

https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/14/91.17

Captain’s more than entitled to leave you behind

Agreed – the thought of lager at breakfast time makes my toes curl

Quite right: ale all the way.