American Airlines Flight Attendants Want to Limit Alcohol Consumption on Board

After two years of dry-only flights, American Airlines might just limit how much alcohol you can purchase on its domestic flights.

The Dallas-based carrier resumed the sale of alcoholic beverages in its main cabin on April 18, 2022, making it the last major airline to do so. The delay in sales was due to, as TripSavvy previously reported, the uptick in unruly and aggressive passengers sparked by the pandemic.

With passengers escorted off of planes for refusal to wear masks, actual fistfights, and other abusive behavior, flight attendants have expressed legitimate concerns over their safety in the air. Now, the unrest has led some of them to propose drastic changes to in-flight service.

The Association of Professional Flight Attendants has called for a new limit on alcohol consumption in the air—a two-drink limit for all (minus first-class), as stated in one of its "hotlines." The proposed limitation would be to ensure that passengers remain calm and collected for their entire flight, rather than getting drunk on board and causing disturbances. (The hotline even goes as far as to say that if American Airlines cared for its cabin crew, it would implement the limit.)

With warmer weather around the corner, the CDC's revision of its health notice system, and the elimination of the federal mask mandate, people are coming out en masse to get back to travel. But even with the elimination of these travel limitations, some flight attendants are still not entirely convinced that in-flight behavior will return to what it once was. "It remains to be seen if the invasive, abusive and violent behavior leave with the mandate, or whether this has become the norm," the group claimed.

Whether American Airlines will implement the limit remains to be seen; however, flight attendants can find some solace in that Congress is working toward a national "no-fly" list. The proposed Protection from Abusive Passengers Act is supported by the carrier and, if implemented, would ground abusive passengers for good.

Currently, American Airlines offers the purchase of beer, wine, and liquor on all domestic flights over 250 miles. Beer is $8 a can, while wine and spirits cost $9.