Michael O’Leary, Ryanair’s CEO for over 30 years, urges restrictions on alcohol sales in airport departure lounges to curb disruptive behavior on flights. He specifically targets early morning service in airport bars, arguing that such practices make little sense before standard licensing hours.
O’Leary Questions Dawn Drinking
O’Leary highlights the growing challenge for airlines due to passenger misconduct fueled by alcohol. “It’s becoming a real challenge for all airlines,” he stated. “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? There should be no alcohol served at airports outside [those] licensing hours.”
He has long advocated for a two-drink limit per passenger and plans to pursue legal action against those causing flight diversions to recover costs.
Rising Disruptions and Calls for Action
Ryanair experiences nearly one disruption daily, often involving a mix of alcohol and drugs that turns passengers aggressive. “In the old days if somebody had drunk too much, they get on board, they fall asleep,” O’Leary explained. “You have a combination of drink and drugs—they want to fight somebody, they’re hyper. We and all the airlines are having enormous problems. And the women are as bad offenders as the men in this.”
O’Leary warns that governments will only act after a major accident. “Until somebody creates an accident that causes a plane to crash and kills hundreds, no government will take this problem seriously and airlines are tearing their hair out.”
Legal and Financial Consequences
Last year, Ryanair claimed £12,500 in damages from a passenger whose actions forced a Dublin-to-Lanzarote flight to divert to Porto. Addressing the issue, O’Leary told Sky News: “If passengers continue disrupting our flights, we will sue you for the cost of those diversions and those disruptions.” He noted airlines face two or three such diversions weekly.
Flight diversions rack up expenses like extra fuel, airport handling fees, and passenger accommodations. A Ryanair spokesperson emphasized the need for change: “It is time that EU authorities take action to limit the sale of alcohol at airports. 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), as this would result in safer and better passenger behaviour on board aircraft, and a safer travel experience for passengers and crews all over Europe.”
