UK. The aviation industry has warned the 4.5 million travellers flying from UK airports over the Christmas season to monitor their alcohol consumption or face severe penalties.
The One Too Many campaign, supported by 13 airports including London Heathrow, Liverpool John Lennon and Belfast International, asks passengers to behave responsibly and stresses that rowdy or difficult behaviour will not be tolerated.
More than 910,000 people are expected to arrive in or leave the UK this week, the busiest of the season for airport traffic.
Drunk airport passengers can be a problem in many countries, though British holidaymakers have a reputation as some of the most likely to drink to excess. A report earlier this year found that 60% of British travellers had encountered a drunk passenger and that incidents involving rowdy behaviour had risen sharply since 2012.
British travellers can be denied boarding, face fines of up to £80,000 (US$101,000) or be jailed for the most serious incidents.
The “zero-tolerance” campaign is supported by the UK Travel Retail Forum (UKTRF), the Airports Operators Association (AOA), the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and Airlines UK (AUK).
It was originally launched in July, backed by the Aviation Minister Baroness Sugg, and reached 1.6 million people via social media. “Disruptive passenger incidents” have fallen this year from 417 to 326 so far. At Glasgow Airport, incidents fell -30% over the summer.
The new campaign will run for ten weeks.
UK Travel Retail Forum Chair Francois Bourienne said: “We are pleased that IATA, AOA and AUK have joined us again to reinforce to passengers flying over the winter season that irresponsible drinking and the associated behaviours will not be tolerated. These incidents were already rare, but we’re pleased to have experienced a reduction.
“Christmas is always a busy time across the UK’s airports and we expect this year to be no exception. There will also be no exceptions for those who behave disruptively, and stiff penalties are already available to deal with those who inconvenience others through their behaviour. We encourage passengers to enjoy their journey and be mindful of their fellow travellers as they make it home or to their holiday destination.”
