Cabin crew demands limit on amount of alcohol that can be served

Mumbai: A few airlines and even politicians have lobbied with the civil aviation ministry for booze to be served on domestic flights; and Air India has made up its mind to serve liquor even on the ground at international airports during delays. But flight attendants of several airlines have raised a pertinent question: why is there no wellspelt-out rule to tackle boorish and violent behaviour after consumption of alcohol on flights?
Most airlines depend on flight attendants’ discretion on whether to serve alcohol to passengers if they get tipsy. Air India cabin crew, for instance, are mandated to serve only two drinks and give a third one only on discretion. Other airlines, too, have certain internal norms to tackle drunk passengers.
"We refuse to serve passengers more if we notice them getting incoherent or sozzled. We may also dilute the drink so that it doesn’t hit too hard," a Jet Airways flight attendant said. She remembered occasions when a drunk passenger was successfully put to sleep but couldn’t open his eyes and stand on his feet even after the flight had landed.
The problem, say cabin crew, lies not in serving alcohol on flights but in the absence of any rule laying down the upper limit than can be served. The trouble often begins when tipsy passengers take offence at being refused.
Airline staff have several ways to deal with sozzled passengers. Flights are often diverted to the closest airport to offload passengers who are handed over to the local security agency; this is done if things look like getting out of hand and if the passengers’ behaviour looks like posing a serious problem to flight operations. Some airlines have plastic handcuffs to rein in drunk passengers who turn violent on board; these passengers are handed over to the airport security personnel who, in turn, pass them on to the local police station.
18/09/08 Chinmayi Shalya/Economic Times

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Categories: Indian Aviation- In General Sep 2008