A former flight attendant has described the “absolute chaos” she encountered on certain routes where passengers got the most drunk.

Skye Taylor travelled the world with Virgin Atlantic for 16 years. She made her comments after a debate on RTÉ’s Today with Claire Byrne show where travel correspondent Simon Calder asked was it time alcohol-free flights were trialled.

Simon said there had been an increase in people mixing alcohol with prescription drugs, with Claire asking: “If the airlines decide that they’re going to trial this and ban the sale of alcohol on flights, does it not just encourage us to get tanked up at the airport?”

Weighing in on the debate, Skye, 50, from Southampton, revealed such a ban was not the answer, but she did call on booze restrictions, saying most of the problems she encountered on the job were alcohol related.

Giving a disturbing insight, she told us: “Long haul flights… It is absolute chaos sometimes. I had an absolutely awful experience in upper class. I am going to say it because it was awful.

“There were a lot of quite well off guys off to a boxing match in Vegas and because they were in upper class there was no control on how much they were drinking.

“They literally drunk the bar dry which led to some behaviour that I couldn’t imagine seeing, like trying to touch the cabin crew, just in general, awful.”

She said often it was passengers mixing booze with prescription drugs that caused the most problems. Skye also encouraged flyers to be careful, explaining how one drink 30,000ft in the sky was the equivalent of three on the ground.

The mum, who quit the industry after getting insomnia, said some upper class travellers felt too entitled after spending so much money for their seat.

But she said this should not give them the right to make cabin crew workers feel unsafe. And discussing the contrast in routes, she continued: “It is crazy to see the difference in routes. Say you are going to Dubai, the majority of your passengers are not going to be drinking because they don’t drink alcohol (in Dubai), so there are very very few incidents on flights like that.

“But the rest of the time the incidents are caused by alcohol and it is scary, it is scary sometimes when you are up there.” So what does Skye think are the worst flights for drunken behavhiour?

Las Vegas

Skye found the American party hotspot the worst flight when travelling from the UK. She explained: “On the way out it can just be carnage. Which does make you feel unsafe as crew and other passengers if they are flying with families and stuff like that as well.”

But the journey back is often very different. She explained: “It is very different, if you come back from Vegas nobody wants to drink on the way home, so it is a very different atmosphere. Everyone is relaxed, chilled, everyone is going to sleep. It makes your job very easy.”

Magaluf and Ibiza

Unsurprisingly, two of Spain’s most iconic party destinations made Skye’s list of the worst flights. While explaining some of her solutions to rowdy customers (see below), Skye singled out the two spots as some of the worst among low cost routes.

Jamaica

Recalling a flight to the Jamaican capital of Kingston, she explained “it was absolutely chaos”. Skye continued: And it was a big aircraft but we had the staff to deal with it then and I think most airlines now don’t have the staff. They are down to minimum crew and that’s not leaving anyone to watch for people drinking because they are too busy.”

The worst route, she finds, is from the UK to Las Vegas. 

After describing Las Vegas as the worst route, Skye said that ironically, on the return flight to England, nobody on board wans to drink.

‘Booze ban is not the answer’

According to the International Air Transport Association, air rage incidents have increased by 8% in the last year.  And despite not believing that a booze ban on flights was the answer, Skye did have one suggestion. 

According to Skye, most problems arose when passengers brought on alcohol bought in the airport, before opening up the bottle during the flight.

She strongly believes any alcohol purchased in duty free should be handed over while boarding, before being given back after landing.  Skye said this would stop people “acting like they are in Wetherspoons” which happens on many routes.

She concluded: “It definitely needs tighter restrictions and even if alcohol is free on board, just reduce that, especially routes that cause the problems, so low cost routes it is going to be Ibiza, Magluf, that type of flight. 

“Stop them bringing alcohol on that board, because that is when they act up. I don’t know how they get away with it anyway, it is purchased outside the aircraft and it shouldn’t be in their hands, that’s my opinion.”