It is not often I find myself agreeing with controversial Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary, but this week I have made an exception. The abrasive CEO, never short of an outspoken opinion, wants airport bars to stop serving alcohol early in the morning. Now this is a man with a gift for controversy and an inherent talent for insulting everyone from his own passengers to staff and other airlines. But he is also super successful with a beady eye on the bottom line, so we must assume he knows his stuff. And on this occasion, he is absolutely right.
I have never, ever understood why people want to quaff wine or beer when the sun has barely risen and you have a flight to face. I know they say "it is five o'clock somewhere," but that somewhere should generally not be the departure lounge at Manchester or Leeds Bradford.
For me, I can barely manage a chewy croissant and a lukewarm coffee before 8am, so the thought of drinking a G&T when I still have the tang of toothpaste in my mouth makes me feel ill. And it is not just purely a matter of taste. As Mr. O'Leary points out, his airline is being forced to divert flights almost daily because of drunken, aggressive passengers. This causes disruption and significant extra cost. He has also pinpointed that drug use has entered the toxic mix, worsening the issue.
We have all seen those pieces of video footage of shouting matches at 30,000 feet or brawls in aircraft aisles while cabin crew try to protect themselves, the passengers, and the duty free trolley. Here on the ground it might be entertaining. When you are in the air in a sealed box and it is all kicking off around you, it is anything but. I absolutely get that for many passengers that first drink at the airport is a ritual and the starting gun on the holiday; next stop an Aperol by the pool. For some it might even be a bit of a nerve-steadier. And neither Michael nor I want a total ban. Where is the fun in that?
But why cannot airport bars be made to adhere to UK licensing laws and start serving at 11am like any other pub? Is it that airports operate in a kind of time vortex where there are few windows and the 24-hour clock has no meaning? A bit like a Vegas casino? Or perhaps it is that air-side bars have a captive, and usually a rather bored, audience, and it is a great opportunity to make tonnes of cash.
With what is happening in the world, the availability and cost of air fuel at present means fewer of us may be able to fly at all this year. Those who do should not expect a luxury experience. We should, however, expect to get to our destinations safely without enduring drunken, yobbish behaviour on a Boeing 737.
One More Thing...
Not that I want to wish the year away, but I cannot wait for autumn and the return to the telly of Celebrity Traitors. The latest all-star line-up was unveiled this week ahead of filming, so I am hoping Joe Lycett and Miranda Hart have already formed an alliance and are plotting the downfall of Romesh Ranganathan. I was unconvinced at first by the introduction of the element of fame. I loved the original Traitors and thought the point was the glee in watching ordinary folk throw castle-mates under the bus to bag the jackpot. But I was wrong. Last year's celeb special had me gripped. Turns out showbiz stars are just as capable of outrageous duplicity and sofa-gripping round-table rows as the rest of us.
My money is on former Corrie actress Julie Hesmondhalgh taking the trophy this year. Rob Beckett will not keep a straight face, Michael Sheen is too nice, and Amol Rajan might be too clever for his own good. Plus, Julie spent 16 years on the cobbles as Hayley. If she can survive being married to Roy Cropper, she can survive anything.
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Susan Lee has been a journalist for more than 35 years, writing for both national and regional titles including The Mirror, OK! Magazine, and the Liverpool Echo where she was print editor. She is founder and co-presenter of the award-winning podcast The Menopod, author of The Friday Book Club Newsletter, and writes a regular column for daily regional titles across the UK. You can contact her via X (formerly Twitter) @SusanLeeJourno.
