swalter518

I don't normally get drunk but I'll have a drink or two. Funny story with my husband, flying home on Luftansa after spending 2 weeks in Germany, he wanted to show off his newly acquired German and confidently ordered an "Aufweidersein" instead of the Warsteiner he was looking for. He said it with such great certainty that the flight attendants responded smiling, "Germany says goodbye to you too, now would you like a Warsteiner?" Shortly thereafter we heard much laughter from the flight attendant area.

Marilyn

hightide, re: those night time cold tablets. Good idea, except they make me kind of groggy and I wouldn't like not being able to wake up on an airplane if I needed to. I prefer Ambien.

By the way, the ingredient in those pills (like Tylenol PM) that helps you sleep is the same stuff that's in Sominex -- should you wish to have a sleep aide without the analgesic.

DiAblo

Hell, yes...but then I'm the pilot...talk about PRESSURE!

Giovanna

Let me put it this way--I couldn't fly without the plane, but a nice red wine (January vintage; much better than June) before dinner, one with dinner and maybe a cognac after creates a nice warm glow. I feel cozy in the dark (overnight flights)and sometimes sleep, sometimes watch movies and always manage to somewhat pleasantly pass those long boring hours from California! Cheers.

dln

We have mandatory cocktail hour at our house at 6:00 and I see no reason to change habits because I'm on a plane. A few drinks, yes of course, but never drunk. What's the point? It's not as if you can go anywhere and enjoy it

maitaitom

"January vintage; much better than June.."

Giovanna, judging from the wine you're served, you obviously are in business or first class, while I languish in coach. As a fellow Californian, I will follow your lead and have a cognac after dinner (perhaps instead of dinner).

Giovanna

I wish Maitaitom. Never have graced one of the hallowed seats in the front of the plane! No need to skip one of those delicious dinners, just have cognac for dessert! It will help you to forget dinner what you were served.

SoloAlex

i was getting close to drunk on my last flight to London (had two beers for lunch in the still-being-renovated concourse with no food in sight) and the better part of a bottle of Chateau Rothschild with dinner on the flight - i was upgraded to US Air's envoy class, so why the hell not?

unfortunately for me, too much alcohol actually keeps me awake. i was so excited by this trip i probably wouldn't have slept anyway. the flight attendants kept the water coming though.

hlphillips2

Oh this reminds me of a funny situation, flying back from New Zealand I was seating in the middle seat between a lovely professor from NZ and a fellow from LA (on the aisle). When the flight attendent offered each of us some wine, the American requested two whiskeys, then when she'd turned her back to the row next to us he reached over and grabbed 2 more out of her cart. He drank all four bottles quickly, had two glasses of wine with dinner. Then still had a full glass on his tray when he passed out about an hour later. In the middle of the flight the professor needed to get into the aisle, so we carefully took turns holding the American's glass while climbing over him to get out. The professor noted "I'd discard his drink, but I do believe he means to have it for breakfast".

lm

Never drunk but I do enjoy a few glasses of wine. The airline glasses are much smaller than I use at home so they really need to pour some before it equalizes. It helps me sleep on those long flights as well. A little Bailey's on the rocks is pleasant also.

ira

Since this is a small and intimate group, I needn't worry that the masses might take advantage if I reveal my secret:

Somewhere in the middle of the night, when just aboout everyone is asleep, go forward to the first class galley and chat up the flight attendants.

Then return to your seat with some of the goodies from the front of the plane.

Don't tell anyone.

dln

Ira, you're a hard one to top. Have a on us!

wpcx2

Some time ago after an especially horrific plane crash, I read an industry damming analysis by a major news magazine reporter which indicated that in plane crashes where one might walk away alive, over 50% of those who did not/could not were alcohol impaired and some percentage who had no alcohol in their systems were trapped by a drunk unable to function in a crisis. I really, really hate seating anywhere near a drinker on a plane because I don't want to have to worry about a safe evacuation when they're in my way. Also, while it makes some passengers go to sleep, it causes an equal number to become overly loud and/or demanding of flight attendants. You know what they say: instant a..hole, just add alcohol. Know this isn't what the query intended but it is a slant seldom, if ever, discussed. I would be very interested if there are any recent statistics about this.

maitaitom

"over 50% of those who did not/could not were alcohol impaired and some percentage who had no alcohol in their systems were trapped by a drunk unable to function in a crisis."

It is an interesting statistic, but since these sober people did not survive, I wonder how they figured out it was a drunk person that kept them from surviving.

I had a friend who survived the U.S. Air crash in the early 90s at LAX. She was sober, but her foot got caught underneath a seat and she could not get up. She would have died, but fortunately one of her business associates spotted her on the way to the exit and got her out.

By the way, she said you could barely see inside the aircraft and none of those lights on the floor that supposedly direct you to the exit were functioning.

What's really damning to the airline industry is that they could make safer planes. Until they do, I believe fate, more than anything else, determines whether you live or die in a survivable crash (of which, unfortunately, there are not too many).

nsw55

Gee, I fly in the cheap seats. At the rate many of you are talking, it's at least $20 per person. I guess I'm too cheap to have that much fun.
If I were in a plane crash, the least of my worries would be whether I was slightly alcohol impaired!

obxgirl

"What's really damning to the airline industry is that they could make safer planes."

What do you think the airline industry could do to make safer planes?

anotherjudy

Well, not blotto variety drunk, but tipsy, yes. A couple of scotches before whatever you want to call that food they serve, wine with it and then a cognac (or two) and I can get some sleep before arriving in Europe. Yes, I drink a lot of water with all this good stuff.
Once, having ordered my second (maybe third?) of the little bottles of scotch, a BA flight attendant, in his haughtiest voice, informed me that "It will only keep you awake." I responded, "well, that depends on how much of it I drink."

Mary_Fran

My trips to Europe are so precious to me that I haven't drunk alcohol at all, because I don't want to risk anything that will cloud my senses. At home, ]I love my beer and wine, but when traveling to Europe, I haven't imbibed at all.

I can't imagine getting off the plane in Amsterdam September 2nd feeling goofy or, worse yet, hungover!

What I really wonder about, though, is how you can manage to get drunk in economy class, as infrequently as the beverage cart rolls past. Is there a bar you can belly up to that I don't know about?

sfowler

No.

cigalechanta

I think that some people get drunk because it's freebies and they dont usually drink that much when they are paying. I was raised with wine always on the table, my parents were born in Europe but alot of people do not drink wine with their dinners or lunches, so they will feel the effects more.