Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary has called for airports to stop serving alcohol to passengers before '11am or 12pm' to prevent 'misbehaviour' on flights. Speaking on The Travel Expert with Simon Calder podcast on Friday, July 24, O'Leary said bars and airports are 'passing the problem on to poor old dumb airlines'.
Two-Drink Limit Proposed
The 65-year-old Irishman said he would be happy to implement a two-drink limit on Ryanair flights as part of a 'quid pro quo' arrangement with airports to stop 'aggressive, argumentative' drunk passengers disrupting flights. When asked about a two-drink limit, he replied: 'No problem with it. I mean very few passengers on board our aircraft would buy more than two drinks anyway, but if the quid pro quo was the airline's limited to two drinks? Done. In a heartbeat.'
O'Leary noted that misbehaviour is getting worse, particularly during flight delays when people consume 'copious amounts of alcohol' in airports. He said it is difficult for Ryanair staff to stop drunks from boarding unless they are 'staggeringly drunk' or 'can't stand up straight'.
Criticism of Airport Policies
O'Leary criticised airport policies serving alcohol from early morning, saying: 'It continues to be a mystery to me why pubs at airports are allowed to open at 6am in the morning, serving alcohol. Why do you not serve tea and coffees until 11 o'clock or 12 o'clock in the afternoon?' He also suggested limiting alcohol sales at bars by requiring a boarding pass, similar to duty-free restrictions.
He argued that airports 'don't care' and pass the problem onto airlines, leading to diversions and disruption for passengers and crews. 'Our crews shouldn't have to work in that environment,' he said.
O'Leary's comments come days after Ryanair announced pre-tax profits fell by nearly a third due to rising oil prices from the Iran War. He remained upbeat about the airline's future, pointing to rising passenger numbers.
