There's bad news for those hoping to fly to popular Spanish holiday destinations from the UK this summer as Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair has informed its passengers that alcohol will no longer be allowed on board. The move is designed to counteract anti-social disturbances on its flights.

While most passengers know they aren't supposed to open and consume alcohol bought at Duty-Free outlets on their flights, Ryanair has clearly had some problems with this. As such, any purchased alcohol will have to be stowed in the hold, which could come at a cost to passengers who don't have a bag to check-in. Worse still, if you arrive at the gate with your alcohol in nothing more than a carrier bag, you could be made to put it in the bin.

The ban

Last week, Ryanair, the popular low-cost Irish airline, sent an email to passengers who booked tickets to popular Spanish destinations that alcohol purchased at Duty-Free will not be allowed into the cabin. The bans are in place for destinations such as Ibiza, Barcelona, Malaga, Tenerife South, Palma, and Alicante.

In a bold move, the no-frills airline said that passengers would be stopped and have their baggage searched at the gate. Those who have bought alcohol will have their baggage tagged and put in the hold of the aircraft. Those passengers who dare to attempt to sneak alcohol onboard will be refused boarding—something which will likely cause many arguments at the airport gate.

In an email to its customers, Ryanair said,

"In order to prioritize the comfort and safety of all passengers, Ryanair will implement the following restrictions on your upcoming flight to Spain. Customers will not be allowed to carry alcohol on board and all cabin baggage will be searched at the boarding gates."

Logistically, will this be a nightmare for gate agents? Presumably so. Ryanair has a goal of a 25-minute turnaround time. This is one of its biggest selling points and what the airline is most famous for. So, stopping and searching every passenger will absolutely increase the amount of time spent on the ground.

"Any alcohol purchased in airport shops or elsewhere must be packed carefully in a suitable item of cabin baggage, which will be tagged at the gate and then placed in the aircraft hold free of charge if you have purchased priority boarding or have a small piece of hand luggage. If the bag is unsuitable for placing in the hold (e.g. plastic bag) then customers will be required to dispose of the alcohol in the bins provided."

Why is Ryanair doing this?

Historically, these destinations in Spain are full of stag and hen parties, holiday-makers, and families. Two of these types of passengers don’t mix - those being stag/hen parties and families. For passengers traveling for a good time, the party begins at the airport, which is bad news for others on board.

There have been incidents year-round and reports of anti-social behavior on board flights - not just Ryanair flights. So Ryanair is trying to counteract the drunkenness of passengers for “the comfort and safety of passengers."

Although being drunk on board a flight is, in fact, illegal, party loving passengers have been known to completely throw the rules out of the window. The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) states:

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. The prison sentence for endangering the safety of an aircraft is up to five years. Disruptive passengers may also be asked to reimburse the airline with the cost of the diversion. Diversion costs typically range from £10,000 - £80,000 depending on the size of the aircraft and where it diverts to.

This is good news for passengers looking for a chilled-out flight and a relaxed holiday, but bad news for passengers looking to party before landing.

Ryanair isn’t the only one restricting alcohol onboard. Famously, Saudia is a completely dry airline altogether. This is due to Saudi Arabia being an Islamic country. This means that no alcohol whatsoever is allowed onboard its services.