Ryanair Seeks to Restrict Airport Alcohol Gross sales Over Drunk Passengers

• Ryanair has urged authorities to limit the sale of alcohol in airports to 2 drinks per passenger.
• The decision comes after Ryanair mentioned a current diversion as a result of a drunk passenger value it over $15,000.
• The airline says some passengers are ingesting an excessive amount of when flights are delayed and inflicting bother.

Ryanair, the world’s third-largest airline by passengers, has known as on authorities to introduce a restrict on the sale of alcoholic drinks at airports.

The Eire-headquartered airline has known as on airports to limit the sale of alcohol to 2 drinks per passenger whereas within the departure lounge because it seeks to restrict the variety of incidents involving rowdy, intoxicated passengers.

Ryanair mentioned in an announcement that when flights are delayed, some persons are consuming extreme quantities of alcohol in airport bars whereas they wait for his or her flights.

“We fail to grasp why passengers at airports usually are not restricted to 2 alcoholic drinks (utilizing their boarding go in precisely the identical manner they restrict obligation free gross sales), as this is able to lead to safer and higher passenger behaviour on board plane, and a safer journey expertise for passengers and crews throughout Europe,” Ryanair mentioned.

The calls come days after widespread stories of an incident the place a disruptive Ryanair passenger incurred a €15,000 ($15,400) diversion value.

In line with a press launch by the airline, in early April 2024, a flight from Dublin to Lanzarote within the Canary Islands was compelled to divert to Porto, Portugal, due to an unidentified passenger, who was offloaded and arrested upon touchdown.

Ryanair mentioned because of the disruption and laws on workers working hours, six crew members and 160 passengers had been compelled to spend the evening at Porto Airport, the place the airline funded lodging and meals. It then offered an extra plane and crew to function the return flight from Lanzarote to Dublin, which was additionally delayed.

This month, Ryanair introduced it was taking a civil continuing towards the person within the Irish courts to recuperate the prices. It beforehand tried to pursue the case in Portugal, however the Portuguese prosecution dominated that because the plane and passenger had been each Irish, it ought to be transferred to Eire.

The airline has claimed total prices got here to €15,350 ($15,746), together with €7,000 ($7,180) on passenger and crew in a single day lodging, €2,500 ($2,564) on touchdown and dealing with charges at Porto Airport, and €2,500 ($2,564) on Portuguese authorized charges to this point.

“None of those prices would have been incurred if this disruptive passenger had not compelled a diversion to Porto to be able to shield the protection of the plane, 160 passengers and 6 crew members on board,” a spokesperson from the European finances airways mentioned.