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Who doesn’t love a drink on a plane?
It’s a great way to kick off a holiday and soothe any in-flight nerves, and often, on long-hauls, a few tipples are included in your ticket.
But one carrier is putting an end to all of that.
TUI Airlines currently offers economy passengers up to three free alcoholic drinks on long-haul journeys.
But a new rule, coming into force November 1, will see this perk removed.
Soft drinks, water and juices will remain complimentary, however.
A TUI spokesperson told Metro: ‘From 1 November 2026, we are making some changes to the food and drink service included for customers travelling in Economy on our long-haul flights.
‘Customers will continue to receive complimentary soft drinks throughout their flight, and a complimentary beer or wine served with their main meal. Additional alcoholic beverages will be available to purchase onboard. Adults with existing bookings affected by the change will receive a £12.50 refund per flight, each way.
‘The Premium cabin experience remains unchanged.’
What do people think?
It’s a mixed bag.
On TikTok, @chrisbr called it ‘good news,’ while @flyingjames said, ‘It lasted longer than I thought it would, this free drinks policy.’
@angiec009 welcomed the change: ‘Good, I am glad. I sat on a 10-hour flight to Mexico last year, a wedding group of about 20 adults where absolutely pissed before even getting on. TUI still served them for about 7 hours. I was fuming; it was like a flight to Ibiza with 18-year-olds.’
While @0startrek said: ‘All alcohol should be banned from airports and aeroplanes, it causes too much trouble.’
But not everyone was happy.
‘TUI are dead to me,’ wrote @emma.glynn2. While @reggie6386 remarked that the airline ‘has gone down the pan.’
‘How RUDE,’ exclaimed @catfantastic5, while @rich46528 added, ‘One drink my a**e! Ffs!!!!!’
‘It shouldn’t have to be a blanket ban for everyone. People just need to have more control. Many just enjoy one or two drinks, and I don’t see an issue with that,’ argued @thedonnellyedit.
‘Sadly, some people ruin it for everyone else.’
Are other airlines restricting alcohol?
TUI is not the only airline to roll out restrictions on alcohol.
In an interview with The Times earlier this year, Ryanair boss, Michael O’Leary, said airports should be banned from serving booze to passengers before early flights to reduce disruption.
After that, a Ryanair spokesperson told Metro: ‘The problem is not drinking on board one-hour flights; the excessive drinking occurs in airport terminals where no limits are placed on alcohol consumption, especially during flight delays.
‘Ryanair have several processes in place to manage disruptive passengers onboard, including crew’s discretion to limit the number of drinks permitted to be purchased inflight.’
This comes as the airline introduced a €500 fine for disruptive passengers on June 12, 2025.
Drunken passengers are a common cause of bad behaviour on aircraft. In 2019, according to official Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) statistics, there were 390 occasions when airlines reported ‘difficulty in controlling intoxicated, violent or unruly passengers’.
By 2023, the number had risen to 1,245 incidents, and in 2024 it remained over 1,000.
Being drunk on a plane is a criminal offence and can be punished by a fine of up to £5,000 and two years’ imprisonment.
According to a Which? investigation in 2025, alcohol is cited as the most common cause for misbehaviour on flights by cabin crew.
Jet2 have also called for tighter regulations regarding disruptive passengers.
This April, the airline said, in a statement shared with Business Insider: ‘We are lobbying for the creation of a national database so that, as well as being banned from flying with us, disruptive passengers will also be banned from flying with other UK airlines.’
In 2024, GoCompare conducted a survey where 29% of people in the UK said alcohol should be banned in airports, with over a third (34%) saying a ban should apply to airlines.
But most travellers were against the introduction of alcohol restrictions for air travel, with over half (57%) saying neither should be introduced.
Financial pressures on the aviation industry
Although disruptive behaviour is definitely a reason for airlines to reduce their free alcohol offerings, money is also a factor.
Due to the Iran war, the International Air Transport Association, which represents more than 370 airlines accounting for about 85% of global air traffic, now expects the industry to post a combined net profit of $23 billion (£17.19 billion) in 2026.
This is significantly below their previous projection of about $41 billion (£30.63 billion) and a major drop from $45 billion in 2025 (£33.62 billion).
Ben Westoby, senior business consultant at Forbes Burton, tells Metro that who the alcohol policy applies to says a lot about what’s behind it.
‘While I’m sure that dealing with drunk passengers at 35,000 feet can be a challenge, the fact that TUI are keeping complimentary alcoholic drinks for those with premium seats suggests that this change hasn’t been brought about purely to combat anti-social behaviour,’ he says.
Ben notes that resulting chaos from war in the Middle East ‘left a £34.7 million-sized hole in TUI’s coffers’, and that ‘bosses will no doubt be keen to recoup some of those losses’.
Chad Teixeira, consumer brand expert, agrees.
‘In my opinion, this [move] is driven by both commercial and behavioural factors,’ he says.
‘Airlines are under increasing pressure to provide a safe and comfortable experience for everyone.
‘I think this reflects a wider shift in what consumers value from air travel. Most passengers aren’t choosing an airline because of unlimited free alcohol, they’re choosing reliability, comfort and a pleasant journey.’
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