A flight attendant has revealed that British flyers are the worst behaved while jetting-off on their holidays. Kristina Galvydyte, a member of cabin crew for a major UK airline, gave us an insight into what its like to work 35,000 feet up.
After working for six years for an airline, Kristina is uniquely placed to give her view on how Brits behave on-board. And, the stereotype that UK holidaymakers are the worst to deal with, is true.
Talking to the Telegraph, Kristina said: "I'm sorry to say the stereotype is true. Brits tend to start drinking, or even downing drinks, at the airport, no matter the hour of the day, so a lot already board the plane drunk or at least tipsy – and then carry on. I've seen stag dos snorting cocaine and fighting."
"As someone from Eastern Europe, I have never seen this kind of culture anywhere else."
In 2022, reports of intoxicated, violent or unruly passengers on board UK airlines made to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) soared to 1,028. This is up from 373 just four years ago in 2019.
Kristina added: "There are strict rules on how much alcohol we can sell to passengers during a flight (two drinks per person per service), but people still smuggle their own drinks in and often get completely out of control. Subsequently, Brits are the worst passengers to deal with in terms of disruptive behaviour."
"As for the best behaved nation, I'd say most passengers from mainland Europe – but especially Scandinavia – tend to be fairly tame."
Unacceptable behaviour on-board can mean some passengers are banned from flying from a particular airline, or by many. The CAA says that the following behaviour can result in bans:
- Drug/alcohol intoxication
- Refusal to allow security checks
- Disobeying safety or security instructions
- Threatening, abusive or insulting words
- Endangering the safety of aircraft or other person
- Acting in a disruptive manner
The punishment for disruption varies depending on the severity. Acts of drunkenness on an aircraft face a maximum fine of £5,000 and two years in prison and five years in jail if you endanger the safety of an aircraft.
If you force the plane to divert, you may be asked to cover the costs of the disruption. This is typically anywhere from £10,000 to £80,000.
