O’Leary’s cri de beer on safer flying

When Ryanair’s charismatic controversial CEO speaks people listen and we’re on board with Michael O’Leary’s cri de beer on safer flying.

Of course, like many fliers, I came late to this party.

Back when drink flowed on transatlantic flights myself and my pal Toothy worked a wheeze to get even more.

When our attendant told us their supply of beer had run out.

Only for Mole Murty to dig out their secret stash behind a curtain in the kitchen by the toilets.

And we took it in shuttles to keep us lubricated until we were floored by the wall of humidity in New York.

Liquored-up laricans

Now as fresh-faced adventurous Americanophiles us boozy boys were only a danger to ourselves.

But liquored-up laricans causing disruptions and even fights on flights has alas become commonplace.

And this is where Michael comes in with his recommendation that passengers should be restricted to two alcohol drinks before boarding.

Now changing a culture which has become embedded to the extent that airport drinking is the start of some people’s holiday is hard.

And we’ve all seen them, the families with their Full English Breakfast and pints at 7am.

Now you may say good luck in trying to get Spoons to restrict their customers to two lagers each.

And so the pressure point may come down to the gate.

Only that Michael reports that groups blindside airport staff before boarding.

‘As long as they can stand up and shuffle they will get through. Then when the plane takes off, we see the misbehaviour,’ he said.

And then they proceed to get loud and leary on board… often helped by trolley drinks.

Another option, of course, is to hit the miscreants hard in the pocket.

But that doesn’t immediately help the poor air crew or fliers whose trip is disturbed by the air rage of pissed-up passengers.

Now Michael O’Leary’s cri de beer on safer flying is timely with the situation getting out of hand.

With us all hearing regular tales of flights diverted because of budget boozers.

Of course, the hospitality sector give us the usual platitudes about safe drinking and working with the police.

But when a party animal Michael O’Leary says time please gentlemen and ladies it’s time for us to listen.

‘We don’t want to begrudge people having a drink.

‘But we don’t allow people to drink-drive, yet we keep putting them up in aircraft at 33,000ft.’

Maybe then we’ve reached breaking point and police will have to stop tipsy travellers getting on board.

And leaving the rest of us to enjoy our flights.