A former air hostess has called for “really harsh prison sentences” for passengers who are violent on flights in order to ‘make an example of these people’. 

Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary has called for a ban on airports serving alcohol in the mornings, insisting it would lead to fewer drunk and aggressive passengers. 

Mr O’Leary described it as a “real challenge for all airlines” and said there is no reason for someone to have a drink at five or six in the morning. 

On The Hard Shoulder, Marisa Mackle recalled that when she worked for Aer Lingus, the airline did not serve alcohol on flights before noon and she never remembers any drunk passengers on a morning flight. 

“I don't believe that they shouldn't have a drink if they want to,” she said. 

“I mean, I think Michael O'Leary, if he feels strongly about this, he should lead by example and just not serve drinks before noon. 

“I think it would be great if he took the lead.” 

Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary. Picture by: Sasko Lazarov/RollingNews.ie.

Despite this, Ms Mackle said drunken passengers are a serious problem and remembers “two pretty serious incidents” during her time in the skies. 

“It was my second ever flight with a honeymoon couple and the groom punched the bride in the face,” she recalled. 

“They were both, actually, they were both taken off; the bride was offered to stay on by herself and she foolishly got off with him. 

“My second ever flight was terrifying.”

Ms Mackle added that there were plenty of other “little minor incidents” with loud passengers. 

However, one further incidence stands out to her, all these years on. 

“I was coming back from New York and a passenger actually tried to strangle another passenger,” she said. 

“It was really bad and we diverted to Shannon; we were on route to Dublin, but we still had him for gosh, it was four hours. 

“It was so long and he was in my aisle and he did get jailed for three months.” 

 

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Rather banning everyone from having a drink in the morning, Ms Mackle believes people who break the law should face harsh consequences. 

“They really need to start fining people and giving them really harsh prison sentences and making an example of these people who are causing chaos,” she said.

Main image: Passengers board a plane. Picture by: Alamy.com.