[Misc] How drunk do you get when flying?

[Brighthelmstone]

I'm a Virgin Atlantic employee, so despite always getting upgrades and lounge access i can't 'bring the company in to disrepute' by drinking to much, despite it all being free!

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

On long haul my default position is to get quietly, gently pissed. A couple of gin and tonics and then 2 or 3 of those little bottles of wine usually does the trick.

That there's the secret to long-haul in-flight drunken success. Getting quietly, gently pissed. Same as at football really.

 

[thedonkeycentrehalf]

I do likewise with Virgin, primarily through...

1. Using the Virgin black Amex/Visa cards for EVERYTHING we buy
2. Doing all groceries and petrol shopping at Tesco, and converting Clubcard Points to Virgin miles when they have a boost on the conversion rate

...which has saved us many thousands on flights. In fact, that's not strictly true, as I couldn't see me paying cash for the whole family to fly Upper Class, so it allows us to travel in a way that we otherwise wouldn't.

I know there are various sites dedicated to this stuff, but a thread on NSC might be useful to help others become miles whores.

(£17.50 on tax? Where the hell are you flying - can't be long haul as the APD for non-economy fares is in 3 figures for a start!)

Another easy way to add Virgin Miles is to register with e-rewards and fill in a few questionnaires. I used this for years as a way of keeping miles I had built up as every time you convert rewards, It extends the lifespan of the miles.

 

[Mr Bridger]

Another easy way to add Virgin Miles is to register with e-rewards and fill in a few questionnaires. I used this for years as a way of keeping miles I had built up as every time you convert rewards, It extends the lifespan of the miles.

Can you just join e rewards or do you have to be invited?

 

[dangull]

Just the fact I watch Nat Geo channel. Aircraft disaster quite often makes me want to have a drink, before, during the flight.

I know how many things can go wrong with my car. At 30,000 feet, its not good thinking about.

Rationally, I know how increasingly rare that there is any plane crashes these days.

 

[thedonkeycentrehalf]

Can you just join e rewards or do you have to be invited?

Just sign up at e-rewards.co.uk and away you go. A mixture of short and long surveys. Some of the long ones are 30 minutes plus but if you do them while watching the telly it is an easy way to get a few thousand VM miles or other rewards. You can also exchange for Air Miles, Hilton Honors and loads of other rewards and you just choose your reward each time so are not committed to a specific scheme.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Hate flying - just completely tedious experience. Airports are awful as well.

 

[Captain Sensible]

I know BA have had difficulties recently but nothing beats their Lounges at T5. But I do wonder why people shove a bottle of bubbly down and then fly, a hangover after a flight is twice as bad.

 

[The Rivet]

For me the most unedifying sight is a group/s or individuals drinking alcohol whilst waiting for an early morning outbound tourist flight. Heathen behaviour!

 

[Cian]

It depends where and why I'm flying

Going somewhere for work and/or there's a hire car the other end - sober as a judge.

Any other trip - airport pint or two and whatever the airline gives me for free (fly Cityjet and KLM a lot)

Longhaul - every time the cabin crew come vaguely near with the trolley. I've found KLM will give you bullet cans of Heineken all day/night if you aren't messy. Aer Lingus charge for alcohol except in biz though.

The FF miles schemes as discussed in the thread were effectively useless to me until recently - Aer Lingus had a near 100% monopoly on business routes and their loyalty scheme could only earn on their own flights. Now KLM and Air France mainline have come in to DUB; Aer Lingus have an Avios based system and my credit card and my secondary supermarket both do Avios. I've gone back to doing as Bozza says and putting every single purchase through my credit card. Looking at having both Aer Lingus and Skyteam status within a few months.

 

[The Spanish]

I know BA have had difficulties recently but nothing beats their Lounges at T5. But I do wonder why people shove a bottle of bubbly down and then fly, a hangover after a flight is twice as bad.

I now understand your username

 

[dazzer6666]

For me the most unedifying sight is a group/s or individuals drinking alcohol whilst waiting for an early morning outbound tourist flight. Heathen behaviour!

I thought that last week - we had a 5.45am flight so got to Gatwick about 4am. Spoons was RAMMED with people drinking pints. We went upstairs to get a coffee, there the 2 girls and a bloke on the table next to us were doing vodka shots with the duty free they'd bought.

 

[LlcoolJ]

For me the most normal sight is a group/s or individuals drinking alcohol whilst waiting for an early morning outbound tourist flight. Standard behaviour!

I agree.

 

[LlcoolJ]

I thought that last week - we had a 5.45am flight so got to Gatwick about 4am. Spoons was RAMMED with people drinking pints. We went upstairs to get a coffee, there the 2 girls and a bloke on the table next to us were doing vodka shots with the duty free they'd bought.

You've missed the point. You were the weirdos buying coffee instead of booze.

It's a MASSIVE British tradition that whatever time you get to the airport, you have a drink.

Teenagers going to Malaga, old dears heading to Tenerife for the winter, families off on a five star jaunt, students....being students, businessmen on their way back from a meeting somewhere.

Airport = drink.

I also cane the booze copiously on the flight, but I can guarantee that there is no more polite person on the plane when it comes to taking to the cabin crew.

The Mrs hates flying so has the afore mentioned pills (diazepam) to chill her out. For her they only work with about 5 JD and cokes though, so they actually do work really well with alcohol.

[emoji23]

 

[OzMike]

I think alcohol should be banned on all flights.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Hate flying - just completely tedious experience. Airports are awful as well.

Flights are fun and relaxing I find. But airports are tedious. Someone once said to me if you've never missed a flight you're spending too long in airports....I agree.

 

[Mr Bridger]

Just the fact I watch Nat Geo channel. Aircraft disaster quite often makes me want to have a drink, before, during the flight.

I know how many things can go wrong with my car. At 30,000 feet, its not good thinking about.

Rationally, I know how increasingly rare that there is any plane crashes these days.

If you're at 30,000 ft in your car, I would hazard a guess that you've taken a wrong turning

 

[shingle]

Mrs Shingle and I have dragon pass lounge access, 6 visits per year allowed, don't think I've ever been on a flight and not been somewhere on the squiffy spectrum.

 

[shingle]

You've missed the point. You were the weirdos buying coffee instead of booze.

It's a MASSIVE British tradition that whatever time you get to the airport, you have a drink.

Teenagers going to Malaga, old dears heading to Tenerife for the winter, families off on a five star jaunt, students....being students, businessmen on their way back from a meeting somewhere.

Airport = drink.

I also cane the booze copiously on the flight, but I can guarantee that there is no more polite person on the plane when it comes to taking to the cabin crew.

The Mrs hates flying so has the afore mentioned pills (diazepam) to chill her out. For her they only work with about 5 JD and cokes though, so they actually do work really well with alcohol.

[emoji23]

I hear what you're saying

 

[Bozza]

You've missed the point. You were the weirdos buying coffee instead of booze.

It's a MASSIVE British tradition that whatever time you get to the airport, you have a drink.

Teenagers going to Malaga, old dears heading to Tenerife for the winter, families off on a five star jaunt, students....being students, businessmen on their way back from a meeting somewhere.

Airport = drink.

I also cane the booze copiously on the flight, but I can guarantee that there is no more polite person on the plane when it comes to taking to the cabin crew.

The Mrs hates flying so has the afore mentioned pills (diazepam) to chill her out. For her they only work with about 5 JD and cokes though, so they actually do work really well with alcohol.

[emoji23]

Agreed. Boozing it up in the airport, particularly before 6am, is as British as chicken madras.