Ryanair has announced that passengers travelling from the UK to Alicante, Barcelona, Ibiza, Malaga, Palma, and Tenerife South will not be allowed to take alcohol bought in duty-free into the cabin, following a string of “anti-social incidents” on its flights.
Customers were informed, via an email from the airline, that duty-free alcohol taken on board their flights to these destinations will now have to be tagged and stored under aircraft, with those attempting to conceal alcohol, risking removal from their flight with no refund or compensation.
The decision comes after fifteen people were removed from a flight from Manchester in April due to drunken behaviour, causing a delay of five hours. The airline expanded by saying that anyone displaying “signs of anti-social behaviour”, would also be removed from its routes to these destinations.
Ryanair first introduced the ban in 2015 and has now implemented stricter measures for Glasgow Prestwick and Manchester airports following the repeated incidents on board, and Ryanair passengers flying from all UK airports to Ibiza are banned from taking their duty-free booze to their seats.
The increased regulations have made headlines after an email was sent to passengers flying from Manchester this week. The email reads: "In order to prioritize the comfort and safety of all passengers, Ryanair will implement the following restrictions on your upcoming flight to Spain: Customers will not be allowed to carry alcohol on board and all cabin baggage will be searched at the boarding gates.”
"Any alcohol purchased in airport shops or elsewhere must be packed carefully in a suitable item of cabin baggage, which will be tagged at the gate and then placed in the aircraft hold free of charge if you have purchased priority boarding or have a small piece of hand luggage.”
"Customers with larger cabin bags who have not purchased priority boarding will be required to pay the appropriate fee.”
"If the bag is unsuitable for placing in the hold (e.g. plastic bag) then customers will be required to dispose of the alcohol in the bins provided. Boarding gates will be carefully monitored and customers showing any signs of anti-social behaviour or attempting to conceal alcohol will be denied travel without refund or compensation."
The ban has sparked a mixed reaction on Twitter, but Ryanair insists that it is a necessary measure against 'disruptive behaviour'. A spokesperson said its number one priority is the safety of customers, crew and aircraft, adding: "We have taken a number of measures to prevent disruptive behaviour on our flights.”
