The UK Government has urged people to follow the rules – or risk no holiday
The UK government have issued a plea to anyone who consumes alcohol before a flight. Whilst you’re entitled to have a drink or two, there are rules in place which could see you being banned from going on holiday and fined for not following the rules.
In their Air passenger travel guide on the official GOV.UK website, they state that: “It is illegal to be drunk or under the influence of illegal drugs whilst on an aircraft.
“If you get intoxicated at the airport, you may not be able to take your flight and you will need to make new travel arrangements at your own cost. If you consume alcohol at the airport, do so responsibly.”
Directing people to the One Too Many campaign website, launched in 2018, it issues a stark warning for those who refuse to listen. They warn that “if you are deemed unfit to fly you may be denied boarding” and as a result you will potentially lose out on your holiday.
They also warn that you could “face up to 2 years in jail for disrupting a flight” as well as being handed a hefty £5,000 fine “if you delay a flight from taking off.” But it does not end there.
The travel experts further note that if you take off and cause issues whilst travelling to your destination, “you may receive an £80,000 diversion fee” if you cause a mid-air incident. And to top it all off, “if you cause a flight to be cancelled, you may be banned from flying in the future.”
This means that not only may you lose out on flight money, but all your holiday money too, and because you were responsible, you won’t be able to claim anything back. The One Too Many campaign resources are in place across more than 20 UK airports including:
- Liverpool John Lennon
- Manchester
- London Heathrow
- London Gatwick
- Birmingham
- Newcastle International
- Bristol
- Airside retailers and food and beverage outlets, such as World Duty Free and JD Wetherspoons
The One Too Many campaign is a collaborative initiative involving multiple sectors, spearheaded by the UK Travel Retail Forum (UKTRF), the Airport Operators Association (AOA), Airlines UK, and the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
The campaign said on its website: “The industry is committed to tackling disruptive behaviour through a voluntary Code of Practice. Signatories to the Code work together to prevent and minimise the number of disruptive passenger incidents, and promote a zero-tolerance approach to disruptive behaviour; the identification, pre-emption, management and reporting of disruptive incidents; the responsible sale and consumption of alcohol; and education and communication with passengers.”
Karen Dee, the chief executive of the Airport Operators Association, said: “UK airports are committed to providing a safe and enjoyable travel experience for all passengers. We urge travellers to enjoy their journeys responsibly and not ruin their holidays or the holidays of others. Airports will continue to monitor and act against any disruptive behaviour to ensure everyone’s safety.”
Just recently, Ryanair re-confirmed its “zero tolerance policy” and said they it’s prepared to deliver “many consequences” to people who violate their rules. As reported by the Daily Record, earlier in the month, the popular budget airline said that due to “disruptive behaviour”, one of its passengers had been handed a five-year ban from flying with them.
On Tuesday, April 8, Ryanair made public its decision to initiate legal action and seek compensation exceeding €3,000 (approximately £2,582) against an individual whose disorderly actions on flight FR7124 from Berlin to Marrakesh on January 9 led to severe disruption. The airline expressed that the passenger’s “inexcusable behaviour” necessitated a diversion to Seville, more than 400 miles away from the flight’s planned destination.
The disturbance resulted in 170 other passengers, as well as six crew members, being forced to disembark. On its website, Ryanair said: “It is completely unacceptable that passengers who work hard to enjoy a trip away with family/friends are robbed of the pleasure due to one passenger’s failure to behave.”
