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Comment by throwaway5959 | Hacker News Reader

We should just ban alcohol on flights. It’s a few hours, people can suck it up. So many of these flights where people get unruly involve alcohol.

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> It’s a few hours, people can suck it up.

While I completely agree, this would just shift the problem to the terminal, where people would gulp down as much as they can at airport bars, and become unruly when denied boarding at the gate due to inebriation.

They would also sneak it on in flasks... So presumably they'd be compelled by police for a breathalyzer or comparable blood test at the destination terminal if they consume all of the drink.

That's still risky. All airlines (in the US at least, possible legally mandated) have a policy of not allowing people to drink their own liquor they've brought on board. Get caught, and you're in for a bad time. If alcohol were banned on flights entirely, I imagine the consequences for sneaking a drink would get worse.

Even if it ended up being true, and it caused more trouble at terminals, that's still better. Airports already have security, and security in an airport is already able to easily move around the airport. It would take fewer security officers per-flight to secure unruly travelers at the gate than in the air.

Would it not be possible to limit the number of drinks people could have in the terminal?

I guess that might make people drink before they go to the airport, but public intoxication is already an offense, which could be identified at security screening.

Drinking on a plane is the only good part of flying, though!

I'm a heavy drinker and I agree with this

People will just get drunk in the airport ahead of time instead, which is arguably worse, because boarding is the worst time to be inebriated.

OK, fine, ban drinking/alcohol at airports. Or if you’re intoxicated on a flight you get banned from flying with that airline again. There are so many options here.

Why don’t we just ban drinking altogether then? And while we’re at it, if you’re irritated about something perhaps just keep it to yourself. Society doesn’t have time for discontent or deviation from the norm.

Good lord.

There is a massive gulf between "deny the drunk unruly passenger boarding" and "BAN BOOZE".

I realize that but I was following that author’s other posts and they just seem into restricting the rights of everyone to prevent disorderly conduct. So where does it stop??

It was a “throwaway” so I suppose I shouldn’t expect actual discourse.

> if you’re irritated about something perhaps just keep it to yourself

Can just drink in your car, people would do it. I'd probably do it. Why? Because drinking makes the flight go fast and it's fun, especially if you're flying to go on vacation.

I don't drink a lot, but like going to a baseball game - drinking and flying is fun. Goes well together.

> because boarding is the worst time to be inebriated.

The drunk people who wind up causing the plane to be diverted in the air seem 100x worse than someone needing to be escorted away from the plane at the gate.

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