Amid recent incidents of unruly behavior by passengers, Air India has changed its in-flight alcohol service policy, after which cabin crew have been instructed to tactfully continue to serve alcohol if required.
The Tata Group airline has been fined by the DGCA in recent days after passengers behaved unruly on board two international flights for reporting omissions. The exact changes in the revised policy could not be determined immediately. Under the revised policy, guests should not be permitted to drink alcohol unless served by cabin crew, and cabin crew should take care to identify guests who may be consuming their own alcohol.
“The serving of alcoholic beverages must be done in an appropriate and safe manner. This includes the tactful refusal to (further) serve alcohol to a guest,” the policy states.
In a statement, an Air India spokesman said the airline had reviewed its existing policy for inflight alcohol service, citing other airlines’ practices and input from US National Restaurants Association policies.
“These were broadly in line with Air India’s existing practice, although some adjustments were made for better clarity and the NRA’s traffic light system was included to help crew identify and manage possible cases of poisoning.
“The new policy has now been passed down to the crew and incorporated into the training schedules. Air India remains committed to the safety and welfare of our passengers and cabin crew, including but not limited to responsible alcohol sourcing,” the spokesman said.
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