Ryanair Wants a Two-Drink Cap at Airports: Here’s What Key Industry Players Think

On Monday, Ryanair did what it does best and sparked an impassioned industry debate. However, it isn’t Boeing, United’s Scott Kirby, or “OTA pirates” in the airline’s sights. It’s the pre-flight pint-swiller. 

In an unusual move, the low-cost carrier published the costs it incurred as a “direct result of a disruptive passenger on board its flight from Dublin to Lanzarote.” 

According to Ryanair, the incident in April last year forced its pilots to make an unplanned diversion to Porto. Upon landing in the Portuguese city, the passenger was offloaded and arrested – but the story doesn’t end there. 

Duty hours for crew working onboard commercial aircraft are strictly controlled. The unscheduled delay meant airline staff would exceed their limit if the plane continued to Lanzarote. As a result, the six crew and more than 160 passengers “were forced to overnight in Porto Airport,” with Ryanair incurring the cost of accommodation and meals. The airline says it also had to pay for an additional aircraft and crew to operate the delayed return flight from Lanzarote to Dublin, which departed the next day. 

The budget carrier put the cost of the incident at €15,000 ($15,460) and renewed its calls for a limit on the number of alcoholic drinks served at the airport. 

A Ryanair spokesperson said: “We fail to understand why passengers at airports are not limited to two alcoholic drinks, using their boarding pass in exactly the same way they limit duty-free sales. This would result in safer and better passenger behavior on board aircraft and a safer travel experience for passengers and crews all over Europe.”

The airline highlighted delayed flights as a particular trouble-spot, when “passengers are consuming excess alcohol at airports without any limit on purchase or consumption.”

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