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DialAFlight Survey Shows High Levels of Drinking on Flights

Dépèche transmise le 19 novembre 2009 par Business Wire

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A recent survey conducted by DialAFLight suggests that frequent travellers are heavily reliant on alcohol to get them through flights.

The research shows that 53% of people have drunk more than two units while waiting to board a plane, whilst a third have been drunk on a plane.

The figures suggest that holidaymakers are abusing alcohol in increasing numbers, without considering the attached risks to themselves and fellow passengers.

A spokesperson from DialAFlight said: "We would remind passengers to know their limits, and behave responsibly while flying.

"Passengers will often have a drink in the airport lounge or on the aircraft and we do not want to stop people enjoying themselves, but it’s important that they know when they’ve had enough. They forget that alcohol has double the effect at altitude”.

The survey comes after a man from Cardiff was imprisoned earlier this year for being drunk on a plane travelling between Egypt and Bristol. The man was arrested on landing and told he had shown a "reckless disregard" for safety on the busy flight, after having downed a bottle of vodka in a toilet cubicle.

Sergeant Barry Attwater, based at Bristol International Airport, said: "There is no justification for getting drunk on an aircraft and anyone who does shows a reckless disregard for the other people on the plane.

"As well as 200 other passengers having to put up with the drunken behaviour, passengers who are drunk are a serious risk to the safety of the aircraft and may even cause the flight to be diverted to a nearby airport so that they can be removed from the aircraft.

"I would urge passengers to stop and consider how they would feel if a drink resulted in them gaining a criminal record."

Being drunk on an aircraft is an offence punishable by a jail sentence, according to the Air Navigation Orders Act of 2005.

About DialAFlight

DialAFlight is one of the UK’s 10 top travel companies offering cheap flights, hotels, car hire, city breaks and business travel. DialAFlight offer more than six million cheap flights to a wide range of destinations around the world including flights to Australia and flights to New York.

For more information visit http://www.dialaflight.com.