Major airline boss reveals WORST flights from Scotland for drunk passenger chaos

A MAJOR airline chief has claimed flights from Scotland are among the worst for drunk passengers causing chaos.

Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary revealed his airline is dealing with at least one air-rage assault every week from boozed-up holidaymakers.

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The budget airline boss, 63, revealed passengers tanked up on booze and drugs are to blame for planes being diverted and thugs being hauled off by cops.

Mr O’Leary also said a growing number of delayed flights are causing the issue, with passengers spending more time drinking in airport bars.

He went on to say that disruptive flyers kicking off mid-air have become the biggest issue facing cabin crews.

And he pinpointed flights from two airports in Scotland as being among the worst for passenger bust-ups on their aircrafts.

The airline boss told The Independent’s travel podcast: “We were probably dealing with at least one bad case of assault on a weekly basis now.

“Five or 10 years ago it would have been almost zero.

“You would always have drunk passengers but drunk passengers generally fall asleep.

“Drunk passengers who are on powder and tablets get aggressive.”

Mr O’Leary then called for greater measures to punish unruly louts who act violently on planes and even called for a two-drink cap on passengers waiting in airports.

He said passengers should have to show their boarding pass when buying booze in the airport.

He added: “So in the same way that you have to show your boarding pass when you go through duty-free to buy cigarettes or alcohol, we believe you should have to show your boarding pass to buy an alcoholic drink at a bar at an airport.

“And you shouldn’t be served more than two alcoholic drinks – particularly when flights are delayed.”

The airline supremo also called on local magistrates to be given the power to give greater fines to troublemakers.

He also named certain locations where the issue has become a problem, saying flights to Ibiza and the Greek Islands are experiencing the issue.

The problem has become so bad that the airline has totally banned people from bringing their own bottles onboard.

Mr O’Leary said punters have their bags searched before boarding and they have even stopped people bringing water bottles onboard after sneaky passengers filled them with vodka.

However some domestic locations have also experienced the problem of drunken thugs onboard aircraft.

Sky News reports that the RyanAir boss identified two Scottish airports on the list.

He reportedly said Glasgow, Edinburgh, Manchester and Liverpool are all areas where crews have seen the issue.

Airports have introduced their own schemes to tackle problem passengers.

Edinburgh Airport has launched its ‘No Excuse For Abuse’ campaign, which brings in every single member of airport staff to prevent air rage incidents.

“We were probably dealing with at least one bad case of assault on a weekly basis now.”

Michael O’Leary, Ryanair CEO

Glasgow Airport’s CampusWatch scheme has seen every member of staff who interacts with passengers given training on how to support passengers and works with a central control room to monitor potential troublemakers.

A spokesperson for AGS Airports, which owns and operates Aberdeen, Glasgow and Southampton airports, said: “It is important to stress that the case instances of disruptive behaviour are extremely rare, however, any incident is one too many.

“When it does happen it can often disproportionately affect a large number of passengers as well as airline and airport staff which is why AGS adopts a zero-tolerance approach to such behaviour.

“Through our Campus Watch initiative, which was launched in 2013, we provide training, advice and support to staff who interact with passengers on a daily basis.

“This includes check-in staff, security teams, bar and restaurant employees, retailers and airline crews. Staff across the campus are encouraged to report the details of any potential incident to the airport’s central control room through a dedicated phone number.

“This information is shared with staff across the airport campus via a rapid text alert system and passengers can be given warnings, monitored by police and airport staff, or even refused alcohol at bars and restaurants.”

A spokesman for Edinburgh Airport said: “We want all passengers to have an enjoyable start to their journey, and we realise that anti-social and disruptive behaviour at any time of the day by a small minority of people can spoil the experience for everyone – thankfully these incidents are very rare.

“Our No Excuse For Abuse campaign ensures a communications chain so partners across the airport, including police, airlines, and retailers, can share information regarding disruptive behaviour, which itself can take place in various forms.

“Decisions on who can and cannot board flights are taken by airlines or the handling agents contracted to carry out the boarding process, and this sharing of information allows them to make that informed decision.

“We all have a personal responsibility for our behaviour and the overwhelming majority of the 55,000 passengers travelling through the airport on a daily basis are well behaved throughout the day. We don’t think the vast majority of passengers should suffer due to the actions of an irresponsible few.”

Scottish Sun investigation reveals cabin crews in fear over air rage thugs

An exclusive investigation by The Scottish Sun on Sunday revealed that cabin crews onboard flights are growing fearful of violent thugs.

Our probe has revealed at least one flare-up a month involving Scots flights, sparking calls for tougher punishments — amid claims troublemakers feel they can “do what they like”.

One attendant admitted they dodge flights to sunspots such as Tenerife because they’re more likely to have to deal with violent or unruly passengers.

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There have been arrests on ten flights to the Spanish isle in the last year and a half.

The staff member told The Scottish Sun: “Routes like Tenerife are rowdy. You get a lot of passengers who start drinking as soon as they get to the airport and it goes downhill from there.

“Some people speak to you like dirt — but once we’re in the air there is only so much we can do.

“Every time someone is aggressive, you wonder, ‘Will this be it?’”

Insiders claim anti-social behaviour on jets has worsened since Covid lockdowns when international travel was halted.

Our investigation found at least 19 incidents involving Scots travellers’ flights in the last 18 months.

Some bust-ups have forced pilots to change course to airports hundreds of miles away, disrupting other holidaymakers’ plans.

It comes as Jet2 bosses banned a man for life after he allegedly attacked crew and passengers on a Glasgow-Tenerife service, forcing the pilot to divert to Shannon Airport in Ireland.

The tourist, from Motherwell, was set to be handed a “five-figure” bill for the disruption.

Jet2.com chief Phil Ward branded the incident “a disgrace” — and he vowed to pursue other problem passengers for the cost of diversions.