Southwest Airlines will resume selling alcoholic beverages on flights again in February after previously putting sales on hold for two years – prompted by a run of disruptive, drunken passengers.
The airline paused alcohol service at the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020 to prevent the spread of COVID on flights.
The sale is now set to resume February 16 when it will begin selling beer, wine and liquor for flights of 176 miles or more.
‘Customers have expressed a desire for more beverage options, so we’re delighted to restore additional on-board offerings as a part of the Southwest Hospitality that our Customers know and love,’ Tony Roach, the vice president of Customer Experience and Customer Relations said.
Despite the news, the union representing Southwest Airlines’ flight attendants has deemed the move ‘irresponsible.’
‘TWU Local 556 is outraged at Southwest Airlines’ resumption of alcohol sales,’ Lyn Montgomery, president of Local 556 said in a statement to Reuters.
‘We have adamantly and unequivocally informed management that resuming sales of alcohol while the mask mandate is in place has the great potential to increase customer non-compliance and misconduct issues.’
US airlines reported a record number of disruptive and sometimes violent incidents in 2021, and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has pledged a ‘zero-tolerance’ approach toward unruly passengers.
Southwest Airlines is set to resume alcohol sales on February 16 after a two-year hiatus caused by the COVID pandemic and a history of disruptive passengers
The airline will be distributing beer, wine and liquor for flights of 176 miles or more
As per federal requirement, passengers are required to wear masks for the duration of the flight unless briefly removing them to eat or drink.
Between January to October 2021, about 72 percent of the 4,600 passenger incident reports were related to mask compliance issues.
An order signed by FAA administrator Steve Dickson early last year said passengers could be fined up to $35,000, and possibly face imprisonment, for either threatening or physically assaulting flight attendants.
In addition, the decision to extend the alcohol ban came after a passenger physically attacked an airline service worker on a Southwest flight from Sacramento to San Diego in May 2021.
The attendant sustained facial injuries and lost two of her front teeth.
‘The passenger repeatedly ignored standard inflight instructions and became verbally and physically abusive upon landing,’ Southwest spokesperson Chris Mainz said in a statement to USA TODAY.
‘Law enforcement officials were requested to meet the flight upon arrival, and the passenger was taken into custody.
‘We do not condone or tolerate verbal or physical abuse of our flight crews, who are responsible for the safety of our passengers.’
A London-bound flight from Miami was forced to turn around in January after a female passenger drunkenly refused to wear a mask and was reportedly aggressive towards staff
The FAA then planned to propose a fine of up to $161,823 for passengers involved in alcohol-related incidents in November.
Last month, a first-class female passenger on an American Airlines flight from Miami to London caused the plane to turn around after she and a friend drunkenly refused to wear masks.
Passengers on the flight noted that the two were being aggressive toward staff; the plane turned around 90 minutes into the nine-hour trip.
Flight attendants attempted to get the female passenger to put on the mask but she still refused. Despite being taken away by Miami-Dade police, the woman and her companion were not arrested.
However, the woman was placed on the airline’s no-fly list pending a further investigation.
There were 129 passengers and 14 flight crew members on the flight at the time when the plane turned around 90 minutes into the nine hour trip
Many passengers had to stay overnight in Miami to catch a re-booked flight on Thursday
Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk
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