Last week, within days of each other, both Southwest Airlines and American Airlines announced they would not be resuming alcoholic beverage service in their main cabins, citing the rising number of physical confrontations onboard.
Many of those incidents, both airlines said, were fueled by alcohol consumption by passengers - including one on Southwest in which a flight attendant was punched and lost two teeth.
So perhaps this is the time to visit the idea of banning the sale of alcohol on flights.
Or is it?
Sure, there are merits to banning the sale of alcohol on airplanes. One need only look at the plethora of incidents that have taken place.
But banning alcohol sales in the main cabin only scratches the surface.
There are other problems.
Lots of problems.
Let's just think of this logistically, rather than philosophically, for a moment.
At the top, why just the main cabin? There can be just as many drunk asses in business or first-class as there are in the main cabin. They're just more comfortable, that's all.
Also, how do you police passengers who drink at the airport? Airlines might be able to dictate policy on their planes, but airports and airport restaurants will almost certainly not comply with any mandate that bans alcohol at their establishments. That's just not happening.
What about passengers who bring alcohol on board themselves? It's pretty easy to ask your flight attendant during beverage service for a glass of orange juice and turn it into a screwdriver at your seat.
Or what about passengers who just ... drink? Ever been on a flight to Ibiza or a red-eye home from Vegas, the ultimate party towns? How'd that work out for you?
Listen, this isn't a lesson in temperance; this is just reality. Right now, the best start to solving the problem is the Federal Aviation Administration's newfound hubris to set exorbitant fines and penalties for interrupting the business of a flight. If hitting them over the head with warnings isn't enough, hitting them in the wallet might be.
Having a universal no-fly list that extends to all airlines is another good deterrent. Being banned by just one carrier is challenging; being banned by all airlines is a major problem.
But halting the sales of alcohol onboard flights alone is not enough. If it was, American and Southwest would have announced a permanent ban on the sale of alcohol, instead of just a trial run through mid-September - coincidentally, the same time that the government could lift the mandate on wearing facemasks.
It's a good start.
But not nearly enough of one.
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