What are the rules around drinking at airports?
Are you allowed to drink before getting on a flight and do airports have time restrictions for serving alcohol?
Rules around drinking alcohol at UK airports are being discussed this week as a row continues between Ryanair chief Michael O’Leary and Wetherspoon's boss Sir Tim Martin.
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Drinking before boarding a plane is common practice for many travellers but something the budget airline has blamed for some rowdy behaviour on its flights.
Mr O'Leary said this week that airports should be banned from serving alcohol to passengers before early morning flights with one Ryanair plane a day, on average, needing to be diverted because of alcohol-induced disruption.
“It’s becoming a real challenge for all airlines," he told The Times. “I fail to understand why anybody in airport bars is serving people at five or six o’clock in the morning.
“Who needs to be drinking beer at that time?”
He added that Ryanair rarely serves more than two drinks to a passenger, and called for a two-drink limit to be introduced at airports.
Sir Tim Martin, the Wetherspoon founder, has responded to slam a "Big Brother approach" to policing airport consumption and that the majority of its morning sales are without alcohol.
“A two-drink limit would be extraordinarily difficult to implement, short of breathalysing passengers, and would, in our opinion, be an overreaction — especially since many of the problems stem from incoming flights," he said.
As the debate continues, there is no current plan to change laws in the UK and no airport has commented to say that it will be changing its rules.
Here is the situation as it stands.
Can you drink alcohol at UK airports?
Yes, the sale and consumption of alcohol is allowed both at bars and duty free shops within airports.
Some bars have policies around how many drinks they will serve to customers and might also prohibit the sale of double shots.
What time can you drink inside airports?
There are no time restrictions for the sale and consumption of alcohol within airports, which means that passengers can drink at any time.
Bar staff can be trained to recognise whether customers are drunk and might have policies to stop serving those who appear intoxicated.
Can you be drunk on a plane?
No. Being drunk on a plane is a criminal offence and can be punished by a fine of up to £5,000 and two years’ imprisonment.
Anyone on board who is abusive or threatening can also be prosecuted, whether drink or not.
There is no limit on the number of drinks you can have while on board a plane, but the airline can make a judgement as to whether to stop serving a customer.
Airlines can also prohibit drunk passengers from boarding a flight.
What happens if passengers are drunk or disorderly?
Aeroplanes have been known to divert and land early if passengers are disruptive or threatening, for them to be removed before the journey continues.
The disruptive passenger can face a lifetime can from airlines, a fine, and possibly also prosecution in the country where the diversion was made.
Airlines that serve Muslim-predominant countries might have a total ban on the sale of alcohol on-board flights.