United Kingdom: Jet2.com to ban alcohol sales on all early morning flights

The Telegraph

By Hazel Plush, Travel Writer

August 4, 2016

After last week’s warnings that UK airports are becoming a “wild west” thanks to round-the-clock availability of alcohol, one UK airline has announced its plans to ban the sale of on-board booze before 8am.

From August 8, Jet2.com will refuse to sell passengers early-morning alcohol on all of its flights, in a bid to “crackdown on disruptive behaviour”. It is the first European carrier to introduce such sanctions – and is now calling on other airlines and airports to follow suit.

Phil Ward, managing director of Jet2.com says: “We believe that stopping sales of alcohol before 8am on our morning flights is an effective way to ensure everyone has an enjoyable and comfortable journey. We understand that we’re the first of the European airlines to take this bold step and call upon industry partners in airports to also trade responsibly.”

Last week, airlines, retailers, police and airports announced a new crackdown on “disruptive” passengers which will see them forced to pay for any damage they cause as well the cost of as delays and diversions.

The worst offenders will face travel bans, while airlines have vowed to take steps to bar people from drinking duty-free alcohol on aircraft. Alcohol purchased from airport retailers will have to be kept in “tamper proof” bags and stored in separate locations on planes, the new code of practice states.

Jet2.com has first-hand experience of unruly passenger behaviour: last week it fined a passenger £12,000 after he was found guilty of “abusive and aggressive” behaviour on a flight from Leeds Bradford Airport. The passenger, who “illicitly” drank alcohol he had brought onto the flight, was also banned from the airline for life.

Lord Ahmad, the new British minister for aviation, has said he wants to “look at” the fact that airport pubs, bars and restaurants can sell alcohol 24 hours a day because they are not subject to licensing laws.

In an interview with the Press Association, Lord Ahmad said: “I don’t think we want to kill merriment altogether, but I think it’s important that passengers who board planes are also responsible and have a responsibility to other passengers, and that certainly should be the factor which we bear in mind.”

Since launching its Onboard Together inflight safety campaign in 2015, Jet2.com has refused boarding for over 500 passengers because of disruptive behaviour. It has also issued lifetime bans to more than 50 passengers.