Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin has slammed demands for a two-drink limit at airports and claimed travellers are getting drunk on the plane – not in terminal bars.
Michael O’Leary, Ryanair’s CEO, last night said he was pushing for a change at pubs before the boarding gates after a steep rise in drunken passengers’ bad behaviour.
But Sir Tim, the chairman of the pub chain which owns seven airport venues, claims travellers are getting drunk on the flights, as opposed to while they’re waiting to board.
He also said his airport pubs had stopped offering ‘shooters’ and ‘double up’ deals, which he claims are still offered on flights.
The Wetherspoon boss told MailOnline: ‘We have had no complaints about our pubs from the airport authorities or airlines, that I’m aware of, in recent years.
Wetherspoon boss Sir Tim Martin has slammed the idea of a two-drink limit in airports (stock photo)
Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary demanded the change last night, claiming passengers were getting drunk in the terminal then causing chaos onboard (stock photo)
There are seven Wetherspoon pubs in airports across the UK, including the Windmill in Stansted
‘Some years ago Wetherspoon stopped selling “shooters” at airports, as well as “double-up” offers, which some airlines, including Ryanair, do still offer.
‘Our own understanding was that most problems then arose from incoming flights, possibly indicating less controls abroad.’
The Ryanair boss yesterday said cabin crew were now dealing with brawls on flights weekly because travellers are indulging in more alcohol than they should before boarding.
He called for a two-drink limit on each boarding pass, explaining: ‘It’s not that easy for airlines to identify people who are inebriated. As long as they can stand up, they’ll get through.
‘Then, when the plane takes off, we see the misbehaviour.’
Mr O’Leary said airports are opposed to changes, insisting that they refuse to serve passengers who are too drunk. But he added: ‘They do serve the relatives of the drunken passenger.’
But Sir Tim said this was not the case in his airport Wetherspoon, and claimed that in the past four weeks just one third of their sales at their busiest terminal pub was booze.
He said two thirds of sales are non-alcoholic – with food taking up almost 40 per cent of sales, soft drinks almost 20 per cent and coffee 6.7 per cent.
Some Brits had even taken to social media to share how they got alcohol on planes – like TikTok user @Roxreviews
Sir Tim continued: ‘Our pubs, in common with other airport venues cooperate with airport initiatives such as “One Too Many” which warn passengers of the consequences of drinking too much before boarding their flight, including heavy fines and not being allowed to travel.
‘Mr O’Leary refers to genuine problems and flight safety is of course paramount, but Wetherspoon airport pubs provide supervised consumption in a controlled environment, with attractive non-alcoholic options and a wide food menu.
‘There is no perfect solution, but in working with airports and airlines and the licensing authorities , Wetherspoon believes it has struck a reasonable balance for outbound flights.’
Meanwhile, the Ryanair boss also revealed crew are now stopping Brits flying to Ibiza taking water onboard as passengers were filling their bottles with vodka.
Mr O’Leary said said staff had even been forced to start searching passengers cabin bags before the jumped on flights to the likes of Ibiza and other party destinations.
The boss said this came after travellers started filling their water bottles up with vodka and sneaking it onboard.
Mr O’Leary claimed that drugs were playing a part, too.
The Times reported the boss said: ‘We used to only allow them to take bottles of water on board, not realising that they were full of vodka.
‘Now we don’t even allow them to take those.’
‘In the old days people who drank too much would eventually fall over or fall asleep. But now those passengers are also on tablets and powder. It’s the mix.
‘You get much more aggressive behaviour that becomes very difficult to manage. And it’s not directed just at the crew. Passengers fighting with each other is now a growing trend on board the aircraft.’
But he said the issue with boozed travellers wasn’t isolated to Ibiza, but the likes of other beach destinations like the Greek Islands – and even Liverpool, Glasgow, Manchester and Edinburgh, too.
However, SkyNews reported he said: ‘Ibiza is by far and away the worst destination for it.’
Passengers aren’t shy when it comes to their drinking.
Many have taken to the likes of TikTok in recent times, sharing their ‘tips and tricks’ on how to get alcohol on board.
Some passengers posted themselves pouring glasses of wine they’d bought at airport bars into their water bottles, coffee cups and whatever other vessels they had on hand.
In the footage they looked merry as they then board the plane, and showed how they’d got the booze on board.
Others recorded themselves filling up water or soft drink bottles with booze they’d snagged in duty free, before heading through the gates onto their flights.
