Getting to the airport ahead of a flight is its own special kind of hell.
We all know about the stresses of travelling miles outside of the city or town you live in to get to the airport, sorting out your parking or otherwise lugging your luggage through a crowded building, checking in your baggage, before taking off your belt so a security agent can tiredly feel you up and down.
That's bad enough when you're on the verge of missing your flight, but when you arrive ahead of time, you've got another problem to deal with: hanging out in an airport for several hours, waiting for your flight to board. The 2004 movie The Terminal showed Tom Hanks living in an airport for several days, but anything more than two hours at an airport and I'm tempted to turn around and go home.
For many people waiting for flights at Heathrow, John Lennon, Birmingham International or any other airport around the United Kingdom, there was a clear and obvious solution; simply drinking the time away, allowing you to have a great time wherever you are in the boarding process, not to mention getting a nightcap for once you eventually take off.
But as with most things that involve British people and copious amounts of alcohol, things quickly descended into chaos, and now, the government is thinking about changing the rules so you can't try and fight a terrified flight attendant on a 45-minute trip to Dublin, or blame it on the booze when you racially abuse an elderly black woman.
I thought I was in a free country!
The Evening Standard says that last year (2017), there were 417 reported cases of "serious disruption" on flights from the UK, up two from the previous year, and up 222 on the year before. Notable cases included a "disruptive man" asked to leave a Ryanair plane travelling to Krakow from London's Stansted Airport, reportedly wearing a Tinkerbell costume at half past nine in the morning
Can't make it up, can you?
Anyway, the Home Office have had enough of drunk Brits grounding flights all around Europe, and as a result, are looking to clamp down on drunken shenanigans several thousand feet in the air. They're currently going through a few proposals to help them achieve this, and among those is implementing a two-drink maximum.
Other people say that the problem is not airport pubs, but people drinking duty-free alcohol illegally onboard, and the Home Office are calling for a "safe and enjoyable" experience on board British flights.
"Air travel often marks the start of an exciting holiday abroad and airports are places to eat, drink and shop as we wait to board our flights. Most UK air passengers behave responsibly when flying, but any disruptive or drunk behaviour is entirely unacceptable.
This Government is committed to ensuring that the travelling environment for airline passengers remains safe and enjoyable. This is an excellent opportunity for all interested parties to engage directly with us, inform our understanding of the problem and identify suitable solutions."
The Government is expected to release new details on their plan at some point this week.