Two of the most vocal business figures in Britain and Ireland, Wetherspoons founder Sir Tim Martin and Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary, are at loggerheads over solutions to curb the rapid rise in violence on board aircraft.
Ryanair boss O’Leary complains that there has been an increase in aggression in the air this summer. Attacks have occurred on a Ryanair plane once a week. He is calling for a limit of two alcoholic drinks per passenger at airports to curb the increase in the number of drunk passengers on board his flights.
O’Leary sees the airport bars as the biggest problem and points out that Wetherspoons and other bars are partly responsible for the increasing unrest in the skies.
“The airports are of course against it and say that their bars do not serve drunk passengers. But they serve the relatives of drunk passengers,” O’Leary told the telegraph.
However, Martin, chairman of Wetherspoons and head of one of Britain’s largest pub chains, disputed the idea that airport pubs were responsible for the increasing violence in the skies.
“As far as I know, there have been no complaints from airport authorities or airlines about our pubs in recent years,” Martin told the Just.
Instead, he suggested Ryanair change its onboard alcohol policy after Wetherspoons removed shots, including Jaegerbombs, from its airport menus.
“Years ago we stopped selling ‘shooters’ at airports, as well as ‘double-up’ offers. Ryanair, on the other hand, offers a discount on Irish whiskey when a double is ordered,” said Martin.
Wetherspoons is popular in the UK due to its famously low alcohol prices, and Ryanair has become Europe’s largest airline thanks to its low fares.
The group has pubs in several airport lounges across the UK, including its largest pop-up pub at London Stansted Airport. The group also announced this week that it would open a £2.8 million flagship pub in London’s Waterloo station to compete with craft beer chain BrewDog’s £5.8 million bar in the iconic station.
However, of the pubs that O’Leary lists as problem cases – Liverpool, Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh – Wetherspoons only has a branch in Edinburgh.
Air Rage
Within Europe, the UK is considered a country with a particular problem when it comes to drunk and unruly passengers travelling to “party destinations” such as Ibiza, Amsterdam or Ayia Napa and who like to start their celebrations in the airport lounge.
This trend prompted Amsterdam to launch a “Stay Away” campaign last year, targeting young British men who travel to the city for sex and drug tourism.
O’Leary is calling on the Labour government to introduce a two-drink limit at airports, saying the rise in drug use among passengers has presented his airline with a new challenge.
“In the past, people who drank too much would eventually collapse or fall asleep. But today these passengers also take pills and powders,” O’Leary said.
“It’s the mix. There is much more aggressive behavior that is very difficult to control. And it’s not just directed against the crew. There is now a growing trend for passengers to fight with each other on board the aircraft.”
Several cases of inappropriate behaviour on board were reported during the summer. In July, a British passenger was given a one-year suspended sentence for touching the bottom and breasts of a Ryanair flight attendant “in an offensive manner” on a flight from Newcastle to Palma.
O’Leary said Ryanair had to ban passengers from carrying water bottles on board as they had proven to be a popular vessel for clear spirits such as vodka.
“It is not easy for airlines to identify drunk people at the gate, especially if they board with two or three others.
“As long as they can stand up and shuffle, they’ll get through. Then when the plane takes off, we’ll see the misbehavior.”
