TUI Airlines has announced a major change to its alcohol policy for economy passengers on long-haul flights, effective November 1. From that date, passengers will no longer receive complimentary alcoholic drinks beyond the single beer or wine served with their main meal. Additional alcoholic beverages will now incur a charge.
Currently, economy passengers on TUI long-haul flights are entitled to up to three free alcoholic drinks. Under the new policy, they will still receive complimentary soft drinks throughout the flight and a complimentary beer or wine with their main meal, but any further alcoholic drinks must be purchased.
Refunds for Existing Bookings
Adults with existing bookings that are affected by the change will receive a refund of £12.50 per flight, each way. Passengers in the premium cabin will not be affected by the policy change.
The decision has sparked mixed reactions on social media. One TikTok user expressed support, saying: "Good, I am glad. I sat on a 10-hour flight to Mexico last year, a wedding group of about 20 adults where absolutely pissed before even getting on. TUI still served them for about 7 hours. I was fuming; it was like a flight to Ibiza with 18-year-olds." Another user commented: "All alcohol should be banned from airports and aeroplanes, it causes too much trouble."
However, some passengers were angered by the change. One TikTok user wrote: "TUI are dead to me." Another said: "It shouldn't have to be a blanket ban for everyone. People just need to have more control. Many just enjoy one or two drinks, and I don't see an issue with that. Sadly, some people ruin it for everyone else."
Ryanair’s Stance and Industry Context
Earlier this year, Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary told The Times that airports should be banned from serving alcohol to passengers before early flights to reduce disruption. A Ryanair spokesperson told Metro: "The problem is not drinking on board one-hour flights; the excessive drinking occurs in airport terminals where no limits are placed on alcohol consumption, especially during flight delays. Ryanair have several processes in place to manage disruptive passengers onboard, including crew’s discretion to limit the number of drinks permitted to be purchased inflight."
Ryanair introduced a €500 fine for disruptive passengers in June 2025. Intoxication is a regular cause of trouble on aircraft. Civil Aviation Authority statistics for 2019 showed there were 390 occasions when airlines reported "difficulty in controlling intoxicated, violent or unruly passengers." By 2023, the number had risen to 1,245 incidents, and in 2024 it remained over 1,000.
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.
