[stevicus]

Back in my day, the legal drinking age was 19. I made it just in time before they raised it to 21.

Just out of curiosity, what criteria do they use to determine if someone is "too drunk" to board an aircraft?

The reason I ask this is because one time, on New Year's Day in 1990, my flight out of Phoenix was delayed by several hours, so I killed time watching football and drinking beer in the airport bar. By the time it came to boarding the plane, I was feeling no pain. They didn't stop me from boarding, but I wasn't very obvious about it either. It would seem to me that someone would have to be falling down drunk, making a scene, or otherwise very obvious about it in order to be barred from boarding the aircraft.

[ggolden]

She was carrying a 50 lb bag and her carry on by herself. hard to do sober. i probably would be a little unsteady also!

Originally Posted by stevicus

Back in my day, the legal drinking age was 19. I made it just in time before they raised it to 21.

Just out of curiosity, what criteria do they use to determine if someone is "too drunk" to board an aircraft?

The reason I ask this is because one time, on New Year's Day in 1990, my flight out of Phoenix was delayed by several hours, so I killed time watching football and drinking beer in the airport bar. By the time it came to boarding the plane, I was feeling no pain. They didn't stop me from boarding, but I wasn't very obvious about it either. It would seem to me that someone would have to be falling down drunk, making a scene, or otherwise very obvious about it in order to be barred from boarding the aircraft.

[cortney]

ggolden...i dont think your getting this. the 2 men BOUGHT the alcohol for your daughter...how was the airline to know that they were going to give it to her...they didn't. therefore they didn't know that they could be serving a minor. for all they knew the 2 OF AGE people were drinking. you said so yourself that they paid and bought the alcohol. IMO your daughter is more at fault than the airline or even the 2 guys that bought her the alcohol

[stevicus]

Originally Posted by ggolden

She was carrying a 50 lb bag and her carry on by herself. hard to do sober. i probably would be a little unsteady also!

I don't think I had any carry-on luggage at the time I was referring to, other than a light backpack. But I'm sure they could have smelled it on me.

I'll admit that I've had a few drinks when I was underage, so I can sympathize somewhat. But it was a stupid risk on my part. Fortunately, I never got caught and I caused no injury or damage, but it was still a pretty dumb thing to be doing. If I had caused any damage or injury, then the fault would have been surely mine.

I'm not a lawyer, so I don't know how this would be viewed legally. However, I do recall a recent case here in Tucson where a woman who was driving drunk ran over a kid on a bicycle and killed him. She was convicted of criminal charges and is still in prison right now, if I'm not mistaken. But there was also a wrongful death civil suit which named the woman, the place where she was drinking (a local restaurant), and the city (for allegedly poor lighting and no bike lane on the road in question). If I recall correctly, the court determined that the woman was 60% responsible for the accident, while the remaining responsibility was leveled against the restaurant (which settled out of court) and the city.

[Jetliner]

Originally Posted by stevicus

Just out of curiosity, what criteria do they use to determine if someone is "too drunk" to board an aircraft?

That you appear to be under the influence. If you are able to walk in a straight fashion past me when handing me your boarding pass, and you aren't slurring your speech, then you will make it. However if you are stumbling around and you say to me "Hiiiiiiii Mither gate person", with your hand holding your boarding pass going all over the place, well, your chances of getting past just got reduced to zero.

We have had occasions where a flight attendant will tell us at boarding that they need a passenger removed because they are drunk or high. The question comes up how did they even make it down the aircraft. The answer is simply they were able to walk just fine going past the gate agent, and many people don't say anything as they board. Reminds me of one incident in which a lady got past the gate agent, but about 1/3 of the way down the jetway fell and couldn't get back up. Long story short she was wasted on prescription pain meds.

While we do get training on what effects the common drugs will have, we are not trained to make a determination as to which ones you are on. So it's simply that you appear to be under the influence. Period. Notice it's not under the influence of something in particular, and that does not just mean drunk.

[stevicus]

Originally Posted by Jetliner

That you appear to be under the influence. If you are able to walk in a straight fashion past me when handing me your boarding pass, and you aren't slurring your speech, then you will make it. However if you are stumbling around and you say to me "Hiiiiiiii Mither gate person", with your hand holding your boarding pass going all over the place, well, your chances of getting past just got reduced to zero.

We have had occasions where a flight attendant will tell us at boarding that they need a passenger removed because they are drunk or high. The question comes up how did they even make it down the aircraft. The answer is simply they were able to walk just fine going past the gate agent, and many people don't say anything as they board. Reminds me of one incident in which a lady got past the gate agent, but about 1/3 of the way down the jetway fell and couldn't get back up. Long story short she was wasted on prescription pain meds.

While we do get training on what effects the common drugs will have, we are not trained to make a determination as to which ones you are on. So it's simply that you appear to be under the influence. Period. Notice it's not under the influence of something in particular, and that does not just mean drunk.

Thanks for the detailed answer. I think the main thing that gives me away is the smell of beer on my breath, so that's what I'm usually most self-conscious about in those situations.

I've heard of situations where people have speech impediments or neurological disorders which might make them appear drunk or high. I used to work with a guy who had a really nasty seizure disorder, and he took some pretty heavy-duty anti-seizure medications which made him appear somewhat "zombified." But if he ever had to go on an airplane, he would have someone like me or a family member go with him.

[Jetliner]

In your case I would take notice of the smell of alcohol, but if you don't show any other signs of being impaired the you would be OK. If you start staggering a bit, then we might have an issue.

It is true that there are other medical issues that can cause mimic being drunk or high, but we can also sort that out. If need be we can call the medics. Usually we will talk to you and we can figure things out. Those type of cases are rare anyway. In the case of your friend he's better having someone along anyway from a safety standpoint. If the plane has to be evacuated, would he be able to get himself off the plane? That's a key question we have to think about too.

[stevicus]

Originally Posted by Jetliner

In your case I would take notice of the smell of alcohol, but if you don't show any other signs of being impaired the you would be OK. If you start staggering a bit, then we might have an issue.

It is true that there are other medical issues that can cause mimic being drunk or high, but we can also sort that out. If need be we can call the medics. Usually we will talk to you and we can figure things out. Those type of cases are rare anyway. In the case of your friend he's better having someone along anyway from a safety standpoint. If the plane has to be evacuated, would he be able to get himself off the plane? That's a key question we have to think about too.

98% of the time, he would be able to follow instructions and evacuate by himself, if necessary. But if he got a seizure at that crucial moment, then it would be more difficult, not just during the seizure itself, but the 10-20 minutes of confusion and disorientation that would follow. He was a big guy, too, so it probably would require two strong men being on either side of him, with him in the middle seat (if possible).