Airlines Now Addressing Alcohol Issues During Safety Announcement

If you’ve taken even one flight in your lifetime, you know the drill when it comes to safety announcements – a recitation of the do’s, the don’ts, what to do in case of an emergency, how to put a mask on, even how to lock your seat belt.

Not once since the advent of commercial flight has the flight crew ever mentioned the consumption of alcohol.

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Until now.

Drinking on board flights has become such an issue, and a catalyst for passenger-crew altercations, that airlines are now addressing it during pre-flight safety announcements, according to The Washington Post.

Several airlines have added reminders about their alcohol policy during the pandemic — as in, don’t drink it if they didn’t serve it.

And many are still banning in-flight alcohol service.

Both Southwest and American have banned alcohol sales until January of 2022, coincidentally also when the federal mask mandate is set to expire.

“We are doing all we can to help create a safe environment for our crew and customers onboard our aircraft,” American Airlines said in a letter to flight attendants.

The problem is that many passengers consume alcohol in the gate area or, worse, bring their own on the flight even though FAA regulations prohibit passengers from drinking alcohol on board the aircraft unless it is served by the air carrier.

American Airlines said in a statement that it has updated its preflight announcements to reflect new information on mask rules, coronavirus safety measures and “policies related to on board alcohol consumption. These announcements are made regularly throughout the travel journey by gate agents, flight attendants and by pilots,” the statement said.

JetBlue has similarly adjusted its announcements to “make clear that consuming personal alcohol is not allowed,” spokesman Derek Dombrowski said in an email.