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Just a Water Please: Why Alcohol and Planes Don’t Mix
Embark on a flight with any airline, and most will be happy to serve you all the adult beverages you desire. You might think that a sipping a few glasses of wine or downing a couple of cocktails in mid-air is a good idea. You might be wrong.
Thin air and BAC
Anyone who passed a high school science class understands that the air at 30,000 feet cannot be readily breathed. For this reason, aircraft cabins are pressurized. The disorienting combination of pressurized air plus human physiology provides less oxygen and can cause you to feel drunker, faster.
Studies reported by the Thrillist magazine indicate that while having drinks aboard a plane may not significantly increase your blood alcohol when compared to having drinks on the ground, a same amount of alcohol can make you feel more intoxicated and may contribute to a bout of awful air sickness, as well. Don’t want to spend your first morning at the Sanibel Harbour Marriott Resort with a banging hangover? Ask your flight attendant for water instead of alcoholic beverages.
Perils of drinking alcohol in the air
When you imbibe two light beers in mid-flight, they may hit your central nervous system as hard as two super-strong shots of high-proof alcohol. If you have to catch a connecting flight, those two drinks could impede your progress. By law, agents at the gate are required to bar from boarding anyone who appears to be very intoxicated. Whether or not you are too high to fly is determined solely by the agent, and you may not plead your case on the spot.
If you become belligerent in an on-the-ground tavern, the bartender reserves the right to give you the heave-ho onto the sidewalk. Be drunk and surly in the air, and a sky marshal can arrest you. In most cases, it’s a whole lot better to stay sober than to miss your connection, advise travel gurus at Huffington Post.
If you are traveling on a plane for business, the last thing you want to do is feel wasted when you land. Board a redeye and drink, and your next two days could be entirely discombobulated. Make sure you arrive at your business meeting bright eyed and bushy tailed when you opt for mid-flight sobriety.
BYOB: Yea or nay
Some airlines allow passengers to bring a specified amount of booze with them aboard an aircraft. Other air carriers, including British Airways, have banned the BYOB concept completely. Bear this in mind whilst packing for your vacation or business trip. To ensure landing with your liquor stash intact, stow it in approved containers in your checked in-hold baggage.
Air travel is a fact of life for many. The way you treat your body in flight is directly connected with the way you feel and look when you land at your destination. Do yourself a fine favor when you save your cocktail drinking until after you deplane.
