Do You Drink Alcohol On Board?

September11 · Wed Oct 05, 2011 4:57 pm

Mixed drinks, beer, wine, champagne, etc.. do you consume any of them inflight? I do, sometimes beer on early morning flights

lhr380 · Wed Oct 05, 2011 5:44 pm

Oh yes!

My staple drink on a domestic flight is a Vodka and Sprite (Had one on my flight up to MAN today)

Longhaul its always Champers on the ground, and a great white wine before the meal, and a nice white to compliment the dinner. I have the odd beer sometimes, but after the champers and wine I stick with Tea/water and soft drinks from there on

ACDC8 · Wed Oct 05, 2011 6:58 pm

Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't ... depends on my mood. Usually on domestic flights, I'll take a beer or two with a snack. Internationally, I'll usually get a red wine with my meal followed by a gin and tonic or Jack Daniels with a lemon wedge.

MHG · Wed Oct 05, 2011 7:35 pm

I never drink alcohol when inside an aircraft. Intentionally !
And I´m not missing anything.
It really gets beyond me why so many people focus on alcoholic drinks when flying - and complain about airlines charging for alcoholic beverages ...

GBLKD · Wed Oct 05, 2011 7:42 pm

Quoting MHG (Reply 3):
I never drink alcohol when inside an aircraft. Intentionally !

Likewise.

Alcohol in a pressurised aircraft has more of an adverse effect on the body than it does on the ground. If there is an emergency on take off or landing I'll be no use when it comes to getting myself or my family off safely if I'm 3 parts pissed.

Plenty of time to enjoy a couple of beers or share a bottle of wine with my wife when we're at home or at our hotel. When I'm in the air I'm staying stone cold sober.

OA260 · Wed Oct 05, 2011 8:23 pm

Mostly Champagne and sometimes a double Baileys on the rocks. Im not really a drinker but do enjoy an odd glass.

FriendlySkiesUK · Wed Oct 05, 2011 9:14 pm

I normally fly first class or business so I drink before I board and then once on the aircraft – the only times I don’t is when I have a meeting the same day at the other end of the flight, but on long haul flights you can have a few drinks in the lounge, then onboard and as long as you stop drinking alcohol around six hours before landing (and eight hours before the meeting starts) I am always fine.

I must admit while I get tipsy on flights I NEVER get drunk – it’s an etiquette thing

Kat

aerdingus · Wed Oct 05, 2011 9:22 pm

Has to be champagne or white wine.

FR do a great bottle of champagne that's cheaper & bigger than EIs

I had a small champagne recently on an EI morning flight.

aa61hvy · Wed Oct 05, 2011 10:32 pm

Yup. flew Y to LHR the other week got hammered with Vodka/sprites.

Flew J back to DFW, got hammered with the same only for free.

wilco737 · Thu Oct 06, 2011 12:51 am

No, never. Never took an alcoholic drink on board of an airplane.

wilco737

readytotaxi · Thu Oct 06, 2011 2:32 am

Quoting wilco737 (Reply 9):

As a pax I do like a VERY GOOD white wine in F/C on a long 8+ night flight so that I sleep well.

wilco737 · Thu Oct 06, 2011 2:34 am

Quoting readytotaxi (Reply 10):
As a pax I do like a VERY GOOD white wine in F/C on a long 8+ night flight so that I sleep well.

Nah, not for me. When I drink alcohol I sleep less good, no matter if airborne or on the ground. So when I want a good sleep, I just sit back, relax and sleep. And thank god I can sleep on an airplane very well

wilco737

readytotaxi · Thu Oct 06, 2011 2:44 am

Quoting wilco737 (Reply 11):

But NOT when you are up front.

BD338 · Thu Oct 06, 2011 3:32 am

A Friday evening beer is a near tradition for me on my weekly flight home from work. A glass of wine with dinner on longhaul is about it for me.

Speedbird741 · Thu Oct 06, 2011 3:55 am

Can't do without me bloody mary every time I fly

Speedbird741

Quokka · Thu Oct 06, 2011 3:59 am

As there are few European wines in the shops where I live it is an excellent opportunity to try something different when flying, so yes I do.

I often start with an orange juice as the pre-departure drink because I am not all that fussed about the méthode champenoise. I will occasionally have some bubbly but not very often. When it comes to dinner or lunch I will choose a wine to accompany it, and I like a drop of port with the cheese. Naturally a fine cognac is a must to finish.

As it is all included in the fare it would seem a shame to go without.

wilco737 · Thu Oct 06, 2011 6:07 am

Quoting readytotaxi (Reply 12):
But NOT when you are up front.

When I am up front, then I always order a glass of red wine for the food and a whiskey after diner.......... NOT!

Of course I am sober when I am on duty. Actually I hardly ever drink alcohol at all...

wilco737

n88kb · Thu Oct 06, 2011 6:34 am

Scotch & dry for me.

Cheers

N88KB

HAWK21M · Thu Oct 06, 2011 9:55 am

I Quit drinking Alcohol 2001.....Not touched a drop ever since.....So no drinks for me.

jeppelainen · Thu Oct 06, 2011 10:20 am

Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Depends if I'm driving home from the airport.

Quoting GBLKD (Reply 4):
If there is an emergency on take off or landing I'll be no use when it comes to getting myself or my family off safely if I'm 3 parts pissed.

That depends if my kids are travelling with me or not. Otherwise I'm thinking that due to the low chance of surviving a plane crash. I'd rather be tipsy when that happens

travelavnut · Thu Oct 06, 2011 12:06 pm

Ow yes, beer, a few vodkas and a 500mg pill of Iboprofun makes this 6 feet tall guy enjoy any long haul flight in economy

EUflyer · Thu Oct 06, 2011 12:45 pm

I always enjoy a drink when I fly, but I do have one rule, no alcohol before 12 noon.

I usually prefer red wine on flights, and some airlines like to ply passengers with bottles (small ones)

CXfirst · Thu Oct 06, 2011 1:14 pm

Always nice with a couple drinks. But I do not get to a point where it affects me or the passengers around me. Some leisure routes have the worst passengers. Glad many airlines (TG for instance) only allow one drink at a time, just to slow down the passenger.

In June I flew TG to BKK from PER (with stopover in HKT). My seatmate probably had 10 drinks on the 6 hour flight to HKT, held up the plane in HKT as he missed the boarding call while at the bar, and became mad at the crew when he was disallowed alcohol between HKT and BKK, as TG do not serve alcohol on domestic flights. Also, the flight from PER was 4 hours delayed, so he probably had some at the bar on that end as well.

-CXfirst

carbon787 · Thu Oct 06, 2011 2:00 pm

of course....no different to having the odd drink on terra firma!
As we usually travel up front, a nice glass of champagne to start with, then a wine or two with a meal and perhaps a nice scotch to follow.
I have learned the hard way though to not drink in excess whilst traveling by air!!!

RamblinMan · Thu Oct 06, 2011 5:27 pm

Quoting GBLKD (Reply 4):
Alcohol in a pressurised aircraft has more of an adverse effect on the body than it does on the ground.

Exactly! It's like a 2-for-one special up there!

Anytime I've got an afternoon/evening domestic flight I stay pretty happy throughout the whole experience. That means 2-3 beers before leaving for the airport, another 1-2 post-security if there's time, and at least one mixed drink onboard. It's how I deal with 90 minutes of public transit followed by my Freedom Grope courtesy of the TSA.

On long rides in Economy you gotta do what you can to try and put yourself to sleep...for me that means wine, and lots of it.

[email protected] · Thu Oct 06, 2011 5:30 pm

Nope, I don't. I don't particularly seen the need. But, each to their own.

Rara · Fri Oct 07, 2011 2:47 pm

Sure do. I always liked Air France's Caribbean flights from ORY, where a small bottle of wine is served de rigueur with every meal, and you order your drinks separately.

AF prefers their pax sedated, it seems.

aa61hvy · Fri Oct 07, 2011 4:11 pm

Quoting Rara (Reply 26):
AF prefers their pax sedated, it seems

To fly on those cramped 744's to SXM etc it makes sense!

Eltomzo · Fri Oct 07, 2011 5:01 pm

I have a tradition of having a beer whenever I arrive into Australia/NZ - it's a long way from London and the weary traveller needs to celebrate arrival!

signol · Fri Oct 07, 2011 5:42 pm

I'll usually have one or two, but no more than that.

signol

srbmod · Fri Oct 07, 2011 7:19 pm

Yes. Typically a mixed drink or two depending on the flight and whether or not on a longer flight they have a second round of inflight service (There have been times when I've been flying ATL-LAS in which they only have done one round of inflight service or the second one was a limited service. I'm used to a single round on the LAS-ATL flight.). With the beer selection on most airlines pretty much sucking (I fly Delta and the best beer they offer is Heineken. A few years back they did offer Leinenkugel Sunset Wheat on their flights, but not anymore.), I'm typically drinking either gin and tonics or Jack and gingers (I didn't like the version of it Delta offers using the Jack Daniels Tennessee Honey.). Maybe I need to start flying on Frontier since they offer Fat Tire......

Max Q · Sat Oct 08, 2011 1:39 am

Quoting wilco737 (Reply 16):

When I am up front, then I always order a glass of red wine for the food and a whiskey after diner.......... NOT!

Of course I am sober when I am on duty. Actually I hardly ever drink alcohol at all...

There's always someone with a joke isn't there Wilco..

I will have a glass or two of wine when travelling as a passenger but not too much as the dehydration effect is much worse.

Quokka · Sat Oct 08, 2011 12:33 pm

Quoting EUFlyer (Reply 21):
and some airlines like to ply passengers with bottles (small ones)

Tell me about it. On one flight from DXB to PER (I was coming back from CMN) the crew were wonderful. I was travelling in Y and had done nothing more than be friendly and courteous to the two cabin crew serving in the zone where I was seated, yet they kept coming back and offering me things. It got to the point when the stewardess asked "time for another, Mr Q?" I replied that I would actually like to be able to walk off the flight. LOL.

BAViscount · Sat Oct 08, 2011 12:36 pm

Quoting aerdingus (Reply 7):
I had a small champagne recently on an EI morning flight.

I remember a time when EI served a champagne breakfast to every passenger in Business Class! Back in the mid 90s I had to attend a meeting in Dublin and was booked in Business on EI's first flight of the day out of LHR. There were so many Business passengers on that 737 that the Economy cabin was reduced to about the last three rows, but each of us got a cooked Irish breakfast with a nice little bottle of champers at 7am. A pre-meeting champagne buzz was a nice way to start the day!

But to answer the original question, yes, if there's alcohol going I'll drink it, especially if it's free! It'll preferably be Vodka and Coke, but hey, I'm not too fussy!

EUflyer · Sat Oct 08, 2011 10:35 pm

Quoting Quokka (Reply 32):

Exactly the same scenario I had, flying from LHR to SEA

exFATboy · Sat Oct 08, 2011 10:50 pm

As long as I don't have to drive when I land, I have a few...usually Vodka-7s. If I'm in Business or First, perhaps wine with a meal - I'm not a big wine drinker - or a glass after dinner if they have port. On CO, I get the pre-made margaritas if they have any.

Most airlines, at least here in the US, have very poor beer selections, so I rarely drink beer on a plane.

cgnnrw · Sun Oct 09, 2011 10:07 am

Quoting Rara (Reply 26):
AF prefers their pax sedated, it seems.

I'll second that!
I actually choose AF because they offer free booze in Y class on their TATL flights, always make sure I get that free glass of Champagne with my bag of peanuts right after take-off. Then I usually go for one or two bottles of wine with my meal and top it off with a nice Bailey and coffee afterwards.

Quoting exFATboy (Reply 35):
Most airlines, at least here in the US, have very poor beer selections, so I rarely drink beer on a plane.

Not just the US airlines. AF use offer Kronenburg beer on their flights now they only have Heineken, the Dutch version of Bud LIte. Yuck!

BNEFlyer · Sun Oct 09, 2011 11:26 am

If it's available, I'm drinking it. It's like a tradition for me, and my friends, to have a few drinks while flying.

It's a shame QF only offer complimentary beer & wine these days, and thank goodness DJ are bring back their spirits! They took them away for a couple of months and it was like all hell broke loose. Thankfully though VA offers spirits, as do all the big non-Australian airlines. I remember having about 8 Singapore Slings on SQ a couple of years ago, would've been more if the flight was longer than 7 1/2 hours, they were so good!

I've never been drunk while flying though, but it always perks things up to be a little tipsy! And white wine is a wonderful sleeping pill.

srbmod · Sun Oct 09, 2011 7:15 pm

Quoting cgnnrw (Reply 36):
Not just the US airlines. AF use offer Kronenburg beer on their flights now they only have Heineken, the Dutch version of Bud LIte. Yuck!

On DL, Heineken is one of the "good" beers they offer. Meanwhile, they serve some good beers in their Sky Clubs (Here in Atlanta you can get Sweetwater 420, a very popular local craft beer as well Leinenkugel Sunset Wheat, which they previously offered in cans on flights.). On their Delta Shuttle flights, they have Sam Adams, one of the major independent breweries in the US.

AR385 · Mon Oct 10, 2011 3:47 am

Quoting travelavnut (Reply 20):
Ow yes, beer, a few vodkas and a 500mg pill of Iboprofun makes this 6 feet tall guy enjoy any long haul flight in economy

I don´t want to play "Mom" here, but mixing Ibuprofen aka Advil and alcohol is not such a good idea. Not as bad as Acetaminophen aka Tylenol and alcohol, but it´s still bad for you. Besides, if you´re looking for a sedating effect from those 500mg pills you won´t get it, as Ibuprofen does NOTHING in that regard. Maybe you are getting some sort of placebo effect.

If what you´re looking for is to sleep, get something for that and don´t drink.

To each his own, don´t get offended, it´s just my two cents...

deltairlines · Mon Oct 10, 2011 3:53 am

Definitely do.

On US Airways, it's normally a Beck's for me.

On Delta, it depends. If I'm drinking a beer, it's Corona. Often on Delta, I'm consuming a Woodford on the Rocks. Well, not "a" but many.

Do enjoy the fact that many Delta SkyClubs have a local beer option (or at least a quality one, not the Miller Lite/Bud Light/Heineken swill). As srbmod notes, in Atlanta there is Sweetwater and Leinie's. LAX has Red Hook. Minneapolis-C has Summit. Boston (and JFK) have Sam Adams. Palm Beach has Native. Dallas has Shiner. Salt Lake has a few microbrews (Park City Steamer and a hefe). Seattle has Alaskan Amber.

travelavnut · Mon Oct 10, 2011 1:45 pm

Quoting AR385 (Reply 39):

It's not for sleeping, it's for numming the body so any sitting position becomes comfortable.

Quoting AR385 (Reply 39):
I don´t want to play "Mom"

euh....

Quoting AR385 (Reply 39):
but it´s still bad for you.

I know mom, but hey, I don't smoke, I'm in good health, doing this combo once a year is not the end of the world IMHO...

WROORD · Tue Oct 11, 2011 1:26 am

I used to get wine with dinner, but the last few years I do not drink at all on aircraft it makes you double tired.

floridaflyboy · Tue Oct 11, 2011 1:57 pm

Quoting EUFlyer (Reply 34):
Quoting Quokka (Reply 32):

Exactly the same scenario I had, flying from LHR to SEA

Oh yes, I had a similar experience flying MSP-LHR years ago. The crew recognized me and practically had me tipsy before we left the ground!

On topic, though, yes, I enjoy having a few cocktails or beers and occasionally wine on the plane. I consider getting there part of the vacation (being an airplane nerd and all), so why not treat it as such

Quoting DeltAirlines (Reply 40):
Do enjoy the fact that many Delta SkyClubs have a local beer option (or at least a quality one, not the Miller Lite/Bud Light/Heineken swill). As srbmod notes, in Atlanta there is Sweetwater and Leinie's. LAX has Red Hook. Minneapolis-C has Summit. Boston (and JFK) have Sam Adams. Palm Beach has Native. Dallas has Shiner. Salt Lake has a few microbrews (Park City Steamer and a hefe). Seattle has Alaskan Amber.

RDU has the best beer selection of any Sky Club. They have tons of different beers I've never heard of. Always nice to try something local.

BAViscount · Tue Oct 11, 2011 3:52 pm

Quoting Quokka (Reply 32):
I was travelling in Y and had done nothing more than be friendly and courteous to the two cabin crew serving in the zone where I was seated, yet they kept coming back and offering me things.

I've had that happen to me too! I was flying AC's A319 service YYT-LHR in August 2007 and when the trolley came round I had asked for a Vodka and Coke. A little while later I fancied another so went to the galley, flirted with the F/A a bit (in a nice, not creepy way!) and came back with another round. Not long after that the same F/A came and put four miniature bottles of Iceberg Vodka and two full-sized cans of Coke on my tray table without me even asking. After I downed those she came and asked if I wanted any more, but as by that time I was pretty much seeing double I politely declined!

Then in July 2008 I was aboard an Air France A330 flying DXB-CDG. My PTV was refusing to work that day and after several attempts to reset it, the F/A looked at me in despair and asked what she could do to make it up to me. There were no empty seats I could move to, so I asked if I could have some more wine. By this point I had already had a glass of Champagne, a Vodka and Coke and one bottle of wine, but the next thing I knew, three more bottles of wine were being placed in front of me! It did the trick though, once they were downed I slept like a baby until we started our approach into CDG so had no need for the PTV anyway!

aerorobnz · Thu Oct 13, 2011 8:52 am

Yes. I always have a white wine or two with dinner ( I like to try new wines that I haven't seen on the market before), and a bourbon and coke after dessert. Unless I'm on a pay for drinks flight, then I prefer Ginger Ale.

In business class I have a glass of champagne as I board, a NZ white wine with my food, a bourbon or port for after dinner and sometimes a Mimosa with breakfast. I'd like to add that I will have downed at least a litre of water and plenty of juice in that time as well so am rarely more than slightly more relaxed than if I was sober.

I have never found it to make me feel any worse in the end.

babybus · Thu Oct 13, 2011 11:35 am

Yeah, you bet!

Brandy if it's early morning (pretending it's medicinal) and red wine the rest of the time.

J and F champagne all the way plus a few glasses of their top class red wine too, just to sample.

There is nothing worse or more dull than a dry airline, personally speaking.

spacecadet · Fri Oct 14, 2011 5:07 am

If it's free (e.g. international flights), I'm drinking as much as they'll serve me.

If it's not free (e.g. domestic), I usually don't drink. Though I flew Horizon Air for the first time a few weeks back and they serve free local wines on board so of course I partook in that.

AirbusA6 · Mon Oct 17, 2011 1:09 pm

Definitely (if it's free) though not to excess, especially on a long haul international flight from the UK, as I like to go through immigration and customs in a reasonably upright state, and get to my final destination (especially if it's a new country where I don't speak the language) safely!!

ajd1992 · Mon Oct 17, 2011 5:24 pm

I don't, but I've never flown when I've been old enough.

I was 17 the last time I flew, I'm 19 now (which is far too big of a gap for my liking, although I can't afford to fly often) but I don't think I'd drink much. It's too expensive and I get dehydrated enough without needing to take a piss every 10 minutes because I'm drinking.

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