Passengers should be restricted to two drinks at airport bars in a bid to tackle a rise in disorderly behavior on flights, Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary has said.
“We don’t want to begrudge people having a drink,” O’Leary told the Daily Telegraph. “But we don’t allow people to drink-drive, yet we keep putting them up in aircraft at 33,000 feet.”
O’Leary said he noticed a “notable rise” in violent alcohol-related incidents during flights and assaults were reported weekly.
IATA reported that in 2023, there was one unruly incident reported for every 480 flights, up from one per 568 flights in 2022. The most common types of incidents in 2023 were non-compliance, verbal abuse, and intoxication.
Flights to Ibiza and the Greek Islands have been significantly impacted by aggressive behavior. O’Leary pointed out that flights from regional airports in the United Kingdom, such as Liverpool, Glasgow, Manchester and Edinburgh, continue to pose the most problems. He also said there are issues with flights to and from Ireland and Germany.
The Ryanair CEO explained that airlines find it difficult to detect drunk people at the gate.
“As long as they can stand up and shuffle, they will get through. Then when the plane takes off, we see the misbehavior,” he said.
O’Leary said that assaults on cabin crew are the greatest concern but a rise in onboard altercations between passengers has also become more common, adding that he blamed passengers mixing alcohol with other substances for the increase in aggressive behavior.
“In the old days, people who drank too much would eventually fall over or fall asleep. But now those passengers are also on tablets and powder,” O’Leary said, adding that the mix makes aggressive behavior harder to predict and manage.
The Ryanair CEO is now calling on the new Labour Government to consider a two-drink limit before flights.
