American, Southwest Airlines postpone offering in-flight booze due to poor passenger behavior

Due to the increase in passengers behaving badly, both American Airlines and Southwest Airlines have decided not to resume their alcoholic beverage service during flights.

American started serving alcoholic beverages in its domestic premium cabins on May 1 and was scheduled to add alcohol back to the main cabin menu on June 1.

Brady Byrnes, managing director of flight service at American, said that over the past week they've seen some of the stressors create deeply disturbing situations onboard aircraft.

He added that they recognize that alcohol can contribute to atypical behavior from customers onboard and that they owe it to their crew not to potentially exacerbate what can be stressful situation for their customers.

Southwest had shelved plans to resume serving beer and wine on flights to and from Hawaii on June 24, and sell beer, wine, vodka, and whisky on all flights over 251 miles on July 14.

A Southwest spokesperson said there was no timetable for the return of beer, wine, or other alcoholic beverages.

Last weekend, a Southwest flight attendant was punched in the face by a 28-year-old out-of-control female passenger during a flight from Sacramento to San Diego, causing her to lose two teeth.

The woman was charged with battery causing serious bodily injury and has been banned from the airline for life.

Meanwhile, Delta was making "no changes" to its inflight service at this time and would continue selling beer, wine, and cocktails on most domestic flights.

American says that it will consider returning alcohol service to its flights on September 13, the same date that the federal face mask mandate expires.

Last week, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that it has received around 2,500 reports of unruly behavior on domestic flights this year, the majority caused by travelers refusing to wear a still-mandatory face covering.

The agency said it would propose civil penalties of up to $15,000 against five passengers who are accused of verbally or physically assaulting crew members who implemented federal regulations, including wearing a face mask.