What to do when alcohol is denied on a full service airline?
Recently, I was aboard a Singapore airlines flight. While booking the ticket I confirmed that food and beverages - alcohol and non alcohol - are included in the airfare. And that I was liberty to drink as much as I'd want.
However, when I requested the flight attendants for a drink (whisky), I was repeatedly ignored. There was no seat belt sign on and neither was food being served. Finally, when someone was able to get me a drink, I asked them to serve me two as they were taking a long time - this was straight out denied as they have a policy (which I couldn't look up anywhere) of only one drink at a time. This seems like a clear case of me being denied of service I was promised.
What options do I have if I don't get served alcoholic beverages on a full service flight ?
Edit : I wasn't drunk or belligerent. I was very courteous and respectful
Best Answer
On all airlines, the cabin crew are there primarily for safety and secondarily to provide amenities such as food and drink.
So if the cabin crew does not confidently feel that they can provide you an alcoholic beverage because: you are drunk, are already belligerent, or that you might become so if you drink too much — they are well within their rights to deny you alcohol. Your behavior could put the whole plane at risk.
There are other reasons, including that beverage and meal service might not have started and your ringing of the call button might have taken them away from other duties so they were already annoyed by the time they came to your seat. If they don’t have the cart as part of beverage service then it’s hard for them to safely carry multiple drinks and they might be worried you might be one of those people who will become an unhappy Buddha when drinking too much (remembering first that alcohol is stronger and altitude and second that there will be drink service soon and you might ask for a third drink then) so they want to pace you.
You could complain to the airline company but they almost always stand behind the decisions of the crew when couched in terms of safety.
At best you might get a refund for what you paid for the alcohol — ie $0.
P.s. calling the cabin crew member an “air hostess” is a sure-fired way to also get ignored and underserved.
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