Will Airlines Ever Really Ban Booze?
Richard Branson, co-founder of Virgin Atlantic Airways, left, in a leather flying jacket and helmet ... [+] with his fellow co-founder of Virgin Atlantic Airways Randolph Fields, an anglo-American lawyer, during a news conference to launch the airline at Kensington Roof Gardens in London, U.K., on Thursday, April 5, 1984. On Friday, June 22, 1984 Virgin Atlantic operated its inaugural scheduled service between Gatwick airport and Newark airport in the United States. Should Airlines Consider Banning Alcohol On Aircraft?  Since then, the situation has not improved. Passengers freed from COVID-19 house arrest have run amuck. One woman literally knocked out the teeth of a Southwest flight attendant. Since February, U.S. airlines have referred more than 1,300 unruly-passenger reports to the Federal Aviation Agency. Passengers have been restrained onboard, planes have turned around, police or FBI have arrested or interrogated passengers. Delta has threatened banishment from SkyMiles. Two years ago, it was an April Fools joke, as  Onboard alcohol is a precious perk of flying First or Business Classwhich pays the bills for most airlines. Booze can be both a pacifier and a profit source in Economy; that $7 on-board beer might cost the airline a dollar. Drinking (in moderation) may help passengers get through todays flying conditions. But bad behavior has recently driven Southwest and American to temporary curtail (not ban) alcohol sales. Southwest, like other US airlines, suspended all onboard service in the early days of the pandemic. Social distancing and limiting contact between flight attendants and passengers was the idea. Temporarily ending in-flight service may have helpedairlines are believed to not be major COVID vectors. Southwest has slowly returned to serving passengers snacks and drinks. However, following an uptick of incidents inflight and industry-wide involving disruptive passengers, we paused previously announced plans to resume onboard alcohol service. Southwest does not currently have a timeline for full restoration of pre-pandemic onboard service, i.e., alcohol. DEVER, COLO. - JANUARY 3, 2006 - Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly<cq>, left, and Denver Mayor ... [+] John Hickenlooper<cq>, right, use giant champagne glasses to toast the arrival of the first regularly-scheduled Southwest Airlines passenger flight, #2983 from Chicago / Midway Airport, at Denver International Airport (DIA), Tuesday morning, 1/3/2006. Between Kelly and Hickenlooper are DIA co-managers Turner West<cq>, left, and Vicki Braunagel<cq>, right. (Jerry Cleveland / The Denver Post) (Photo By Jerry Cleveland/The Denver Post via Getty Images) Denver Post via Getty Images  Such incidents, as Henry H. Harteveldt, President/Travel Industry Analyst at the Atmosphere Research Group, puts it, are why we cant have nice things.  At American, a memo to flight crews said, We recognize that alcohol can contribute to atypical behavior from customers onboard and we owe it to our crew not to potentially exacerbate what can already be a new and stressful situation for our customersAmerican suspended alcohol sales in the Main Cabin in late March 2020, and that service will remain suspended through Sept.13.  Not coincidentally, September 13 is the date the FAA has said the airline mask mandate will end. Unfortunately, as many states have already dropped mask mandates, that may entail a long hot summer onboard the airlines. Americans limitation of alcohol service may be more controversial than that of Southwest, where no customer will be served alcohol until the pause ends. But on American, Premium cabin customers can get a free drink at the pointy end of the plane, as Harteveldt puts it. Unfortunately, this feeds into current concerns about social inequality. A Bloomberg opinion piece claims that air rage is not about alcohol or shrinking legroom, but is actually caused by class warfare. The story says a 2016 academic study found that the presence of a first-class section made it 3.84 times more likely that someone in economy class would act out.  FILE - In this June 16, 2020 photo, travelers wear mask as they wait at the American Airlines ticket ... [+] counter in Terminal 3 at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. American Airlines and Southwest Airlines reported large second-quarter losses on Thursday, July 23, 2020, as expected, and warned that the recovery in air travel that began in April has stalled as coronavirus cases surge again in the U.S. American posted a loss of more than $2 billion, and Southwest lost $915 million. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) ASSOCIATED PRESS  Weve all been in the cave too long, and when you come out its Lord of the Flies, says Bryan Del Monte, President of The Aviation Agency. Flying over the last year, senior flight attendants told him, Were trying to reduce people getting boozed up and upset over the mask requirement.  His modest proposal to limit alcohol-fueled incidents: cut beverage service. Catering is a large cost that airlines really hate. With less catering, it is a simple way to increase revenue per flight.  Del Monte says service standards are already low. Passengers say Oh my G-d I got a whole can of soda. He notes that smoking is long gone, and the airlines have banned emotional security animals, so alcohol might go too. The airlines are looking for ways to pull cost out of the supply chain. On domestic flights, you could remove alcohol and cite passenger safety. Its like the COVID-19 school year; clearly Zoom school is not the same as in-person instruction, but I didnt see many colleges giving refunds. Airline have used this strategy for years, providing service where you get less and less for the same price.  Although some carriers (such as Emirates internationally and JetBlue and Alaska domestically) try to differentiate themselves based on food and beverage offerings, airline food remains a staple of jokes and costs are key. Harteveldt says, Jet Blue switched from Coke to Pepsi because Coke was too expensive.  Whether alcohol service is a passenger amenity or a profit center is less clear. If a case of Corona beer sells for $24 and an airline sells a bottle for $6, it might seem a 500% profit. But most food and alcohol to the airlines is provided by catering companies. A September 2020 study found that the global market for In-Flight Catering Services is projected to reach US$22.4 billion by 2025, driven by the rise in air passenger traffic and the resulting increase in demand for airline food. The ResearchAndMarkets.com study claimed the increasing popularity of gourmet food catering is a competitive strategy for service differentiation among airline companies.  DALLAS, TX - APRIL 23, 2018: An employee of LSG Sky Chefs prepares to load food and drinks onto an ... [+] American Airlines commercial jet being serviced at a gate at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport near Dallas, Texas. LSG Sky Chefs is the brand name of LSG Lufthansa Service Holding AG, the world's largest provider of airline catering and in-flight services. It is a subsidiary of Deutsche Lufthansa AG. (Photo by Robert Alexander/Getty Images) Getty Images  While alcohol might not be quite as important to airlines as kerosene, there may be gold at the bottom of the bottle. MEL Magazine interviewed Ajai Ammachathram, an assistant professor at the University of Nebraskas School of Nutrition and Health Sciences. He estimated gross profit on alcohol sales at more than 50 percent, citing the captive audience. I compare selling booze on a flight to popcorn and candy in a movie theater. The thing about the movie theater is that you go there to relax, but I dont think anybody will say that about the flying experience.  Airline analyst Helane Becker of Cowen says, I have never seen revenue numbers for this segment. She says, If people persist in drinking and acting out, maybe not having alcohol available is the solution. Flight attendants are taught to watch for signs of inebriation onboard. At the gate, if a passenger appears intoxicated, they can be denied boarding. Flight attendants get plenty of training in how to handle unruly passengers, but they dont want confrontations. If they smell alcohol, they may suggest coffee. Or add a little more ice or water to dilute the drink. Or less liquor, says Harteveldt. An airplane is not a flying bar. It is a shared conveyance. And rule number one for that airplane is safety.  Nonetheless, he says, If airline A says no alcohol for anybody, Airline B says we still got booze.