The footage captured two men on a flight from Edinburgh to Tenerife fighting and spitting at each other. According to other passengers onboard, the pair - who were allegedly brothers - started arguing in the aisle and continued for hours.
Soon, things took a turn for the worse and the men became violent towards each other and more passengers got involved. The video showed a third man getting shouted at before a woman began to yell at another traveller, reports Daily Mail.
The original clip was captioned: “The blonde bird screamed the whole flight and then her boyfriend and his brother all fell out and started fighting.”
The clip has now sparked a conversation online, with many questioning if it’s time to get rid of alcohol on planes for good.
A clip showing an alcohol-induced brawl on a Ryanair flight has prompted viewers to call for an alcohol ban on airplanes. Photo / Portuguese Gravity, Unsplash
One person wrote in the comments section of Daily Mail’s original article: “Time to ban alcohol in airports.”
Another chimed in: “There needs to be a breathalyser at the boarding gate with a maximum level of blood alcohol level. Too many people head to the bar as soon as they reach the airport and knock back pints.”
“Don’t sell alcohol at airports or on flight”, a third person suggested.
However, not all commenters on the article were supportive of the proposed ban.
One person wrote: “Of course, punish the millions who can control themselves because a handful of fools who can’t.”
Another agreed, saying: “I think just permanently ban idiots like this from ever flying again. It’s not fair on those who like to sensibly have one drink to relax as part of their holiday before getting on a flight.”
Not all commenters on the news article were supportive of the proposed alcohol ban. Photo / 123rf
Daily Mail reached out to travel experts, asking if an alcohol ban on flights could be the way forward.
Founder of travel site godsavethepoints.com, Gilbert Ott, said: “Bans only encourage increasingly unscrutinised behaviour, such as sneaking drinks in lavatories or in non-obvious cups. This would only make it harder for cabin crew and authorities to monitor drinking.”
Instead, the frequent flyer and travel buff called for stricter enforcement: “Current slaps on the wrist for disruptive offenders are pathetic. Drinks should flow as freely as ever but offenders should receive stiffer punishment.”
Diary of a Flight Attendant author Marika Mikusova agreed, adding that an alcohol ban would result in covert drinking: “If alcohol was banned on flights, some eager people would be forced to buy alcohol in duty-free and then secretly drink it on board.”
However, Mikusova did note that alcohol consumption on flights can often prove to be problematic, with “aggressive passengers” being an issue, as well as people needing medical attention after inadvisedly combining alcoholic beverages with their medication.
From a flight attendant perspective, she thinks a ban would have one big plus: “The less of anything we serve, the more free time we have to just do nothing.”
