“Such incidents have the potential to compromise the safety of our operation.”
Aer Lingus have warned the public that drunk passengers will be turned away from their flights at the gate.
Their comments come after Ryanair called on airports to stop serving alcohol before 10am due an incident on a weekend flight from Dublin to Ibiza, where the plane had to land in Paris due to the alleged behaviour of some intoxicated passengers. Although one of the passengers involved in the incident has since said that Ryanair staff overreacted.
The airline warned that they’ve a zero tolerance policy for anyone causing disruptive behaviour and anyone who causes problems on their flights run the risk of being denied travel with the airline in the future.
Aer Lingus said that they assess each passenger at the gate and have the right to refuse entry to the flight for someone under the influence.
In a statement issued to JOE, the airline said: “In common with other airlines, Aer Lingus has a strict no-tolerance policy towards disruptive guest behaviour. Such incidents have the potential to compromise the safety of our operation and to expose passengers, crew, and ground staff to possible injury; conflict with our goal to be a safe and secure airline; reduce the level of customer service for other passengers; and place an unacceptable burden on staff.
“Ireland and all states served by Aer Lingus are signatories to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Tokyo Convention. This international agreement provides for the management of disruptive guest incidents. Additionally, regional regulatory bodies such as the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) have recently published appropriate regulations and most States have specific national legislation governing such incidents.
“Furthermore, Aer Lingus assess guests at the gate and refuses carriage of intoxicated guests. Alcohol purchased in the airport that has been opened, or decanted, is confiscated and disposed. All of our crew have been advised on the controlled sale of alcohol inflight. Should a guest become disruptive inflight, they may be denied future travel on the airline.”
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