Ever been limited alcoholic beverages in economy on Korean Air?

[Queef_Sniffer]

Hello all,

Just wondering if anyone else has had something similar happen to them.  Recently, I was flying back from Thailand to the US.  I took Korean Air there and back, and on the way to LOS, I was able to request all the free drinks I wanted.  I literally drank my weight in whiskey and cokes on the way there.  No problem.

On the return flight, I ordered my first whiskey and Coke.  No problem.  I ordered a second shortly after (about 10 mins.) and no problem.  But when they brought me my second, it looked like the lead flight attendant approached me as they handed me the drink, and asked the flight attendant handing it to me, if it was my first or second, then asked me.  I responded with, "Umm.... why would it matter if it's my first or second?"

She then told the flight attendant serving me, "Ok, after this drink, you need to slow it down."

I was taken aback.  Initially, I didn't say anything, just not to rock the boat or stir up trouble.  I like to keep a cool head, and keep things on the up and up.  So I refrained from commenting back.

I then ordered a few more with different cabin crew members.  None of them gave me any flack.  By the 6th one, (after being 6 hours into my 13 hour flight) I was ready to order one last one, and call it a night.  I was gonna try to get some sleep before arriving.

As I order, the flight attendant brings me my 6th one and is like, "Sir, this is the last one."    At this point, I rebutted.

Me: Why?

Her: It just is.

Me:  That's not a reason

Her:  That's it, no more

Me:  Why though?  What's the problem?

Her:  Sir, out of all the people here (waves at economy cabin), you're the only one ordering drinks.  No more.

Me:  That's on them.  If they don't want to drink, that's their choice.  First of all, I'm 6'1...  240 pounds.    Second, I'm not drunk.   Third, I'm not bothering anyone around me or being belligerent.  I'm just watching a movie on my iPad.  Fourth, The glasses are incredibly tiny.  And fifth, the glasses are 1/2 full of ice, and the 1/6 whiskey, 2/6 coke.  So who cares?   I could finish one of these tiny glasses in under 4 sips - without even trying.   (All the while, I kept calm/cool/collected)

Her:  No more after this.  Wait a while, near the end of the flight, we'll give you more.

Needless to say, this really pissed me off.  To the best of my knowledge, drinks in Economy on Korean Air are free.  That's why I chose to fly with them.  If I would have known they would have been a-holes about it, I would've flown someone else.

I've flown JAL, and ANA and never even once, have I been told "this is your last one," or "is that your first or second?"  The last time I flew ANA, I must've ordered 15 or so, and never once was told anything.   I wonder if they also limit their first class passengers?  I'm now considering never flying Korean Air again, and if I did.... I'd bring my own stash to drink.  I could easily buy a bottle in duty free, and easily float a fifth on a 12-16 hour flight.

My question is this, have any of you ever been told this?  And if so, how did you deal with it?

Below is an insert of the size of the drinks they serve.  As you can see, they are incredibly small.

[Luv2Phuket]

No personal knowledge, but I would be very surprised if the terms of carriage didn't allow them to refuse to serve alcohol after a number of drinks.  I also assume that it is pureloy up to their discretion.

[LeoTex]

You need to fix the poll.

#3. If Yes, what airline?

you answer no on #2. you still have to vote on #3 to submit vote.

LeoTex

BTW, I have never been turned down for drinks in business, first or economy on any airline I have flown on.

[just hanging]

5 minutes ago, LeoTex said:

You need to fix the poll.

#3. If Yes, what airline?

you answer no on #2. you still have to vote on #3 to submit vote.

LeoTex

BTW, I have never been turned down for drinks in business, first or economy on any airline I have flown on.

unless you were drunk

[LeoTex]

Just now, just hanging said:

unless you were drunk

Very true.

but I don't keep drinking until I get drunk.

LeoTex

[wadman]

I would not call that an "incredible small glass".  Looks like it holds around 200 ml.

It also doesn't look like it "1/2 full of ice", certainly not by volume.  By volume, I would say the glass was 80% filled.  Of that 80%, about 15% of it was ice, the other 85% was whiskey and coke.

[Queef_Sniffer]

2 hours ago, LeoTex said:

You need to fix the poll.

#3. If Yes, what airline?

you answer no on #2. you still have to vote on #3 to submit vote.

LeoTex

BTW, I have never been turned down for drinks in business, first or economy on any airline I have flown on.

Corrected, thanks for the input.

2 hours ago, wadman said:

I would not call that an "incredible small glass".  Looks like it holds around 200 ml.

It also doesn't look like it "1/2 full of ice", certainly not by volume.  By volume, I would say the glass was 80% filled.  Of that 80%, about 15% of it was ice, the other 85% was whiskey and coke.

15% of it was ice?  Maybe if it was only 1 cube.  But let's do the math.

200ML?   Ok, we'll go with that measure

200ML  @ 80% full = 160ML of liquid/ice

15% ice?  Unlikely.  By the looks of it, it's at least 30% ice.  (and that's a conservative estimate)

30% of 160ML = 48ML ....... which means 160-48=112ML of other remaining Liquid

Now, the moment of truth.  How much whiskey was in that 112ML of remaining Liquid?

Well, considering that a standard shot of alcohol is 1.5 oz. or 44.3 ML, the remaining Liquid inside would need to be pretty clear considering that 44.3ML of 112ML is ~39%  

That glass is dark brown.   

I can assure you that it isn't even CLOSE to having an average shot poured in, nor is it even close to being the average size of ~236ML of a regular 8oz. drink.  At best, that drink had 30ML of whiskey - and that's an extremely gracious assumption, considering I've been giving you benefit of the doubt estimates.  That drink had barely an aroma of any alcohol in it.

As I stated earlier, I'm 6'1 240 lbs.  Not 5'6 160 lbs.  Alcohol affects me far less than the noted 5'6 counterpart.

[shadowcat]

Well it,s ok to eat dogs but don,t get pissed on the plane.

Years ago the Quantas Sydney to Manilla flights would mysteriously run out of beer in economy.

Thanks for the heads up on Korean Air

[stacksreg123]

Airlines don't want drunk people on their flights, as it could get messy or bother other customers. So I guess it's hit or miss with the flight attendant and their personal judgment on how you're handling your drinks or how many more you can have.

I'm not a fan of long flights either so I usually get my Doc to give me a couple Xanax when I have to travel. Combine 2mg Xanax with a couple drinks and the flight goes by in a heartbeat.

D

[misteregg]

Hi mate.
It's the airlines duty to get you and the other passengers and crew to destination safely and not a free drinks service.
Maybe they flagged you up after your first flight on the computer as someone who had a lot of drinks before, who knows.
If you say you weren't drunk I believe you but others may judge by different criteria.
Either way, I wouldn't get upset about it.
Just move on and choose a new airline.
See you soon.
Phil

[striderman]

i had to impose great self restraint monday evening. i get lounge access as a FF with etihad. at check in flight delay of 3 hrs which turned out to be 4.

so i get in the lounge at 17 30 and would normally leave about 19 15 ish to board. instead i rolled out about 22 55 hrs. 8 red wines 2 large cognacs later plus a fair bit of food to help soak it up.

[The Sly Fox]

 

 

[MidniteM]

You might not have liked it, but they do it for everyone's safety - It is called the responsible service of alcohol. Now, I am not saying that you were overly inebriated, but the staff don't know if you have drunk before you arrived on the plane and don't know if you are on any medication or if you can handle your alcohol.  They have EVERY right to refuse to serve you alcohol.   I think we have all seen happily drunk people at airports and even a few who were probably a few drinks past that, so it does happen.

Now, 6 (standard) drinks in 6 hours is entirely reasonable and really defies all definition of too much alcohol.  But, that is not really the point as far as the staff are concerned.  If they want to refuse to serve you, they can.  You can be pissed off all you like, but they are doing what they are trained to do. Talking back or listing your complaints ("firstly, secondly", etc) is only going to hurt your cause.  Smiling and nodding is the best course of action, initially.   A quiet word down the back with the head purser probably would have been your best bet at that point. 

On bringing your own bottle... It is against their terms of carriage.  If they caught you pouring from your own bottle, then it would be confiscated.  If they thought that you were trying to sneak around the rule, they could ask you for the bottle and it could get a bit confrontational from there.  I would suggest that this is not a great idea.  And it may draw unwanted attention from people around you.

I am not saying that you were in the wrong, but you have to remember that it is their plane.  It is no different to being in a bar - you can be refused at any time.  Knowing how much Korean businessmen enjoy their drinks, maybe they have slightly different rules?  I have flown Cathay Pacific extensively (both in Business and Economy) and have never been refused, but then again I don't think I made it up to six drinks.  In business class, with any airline, it would be unlikely that you would ever be refused.

Best of luck with your next long haul flight.

As a addendum, Royal Brunei Airlines is an awesome airline, but it is also a dry airline (not sure there are many dry airlines out there), so you would want to avoid that one.

 

[sean coast]

Hi Mate it happened to me on an air france flight to los i had my meal with a small bottle of wine so about 20 minutes later i asked for another one ..

me..may i have a bottle of red wine please

frence bitch...where do you come from

me...seat 12 b

french bitch ...no what country are you from..

me..born in uk and live in spain

french bitch..sorry but this will have to be your last one..

me ..why

french bitch...we have to monitor passengers in take of alcohol

me,,but i am not drunk

french bitch ...sorry last one

i was so pissed off  i went back to my seat and i could see all the other passengers getting what they wanted, so i used another flight attendant and she never batted an eye in the end had quite a few bottles of red,on leaving i gave all the empties to the french bitch fuck me her face was a fucking picture just smiled at her . i did complain to air france via email and received a phone call from air france head of customer services in which he did say sorry but still defended the bitch ..still settled with a shed load of airmiles,,,,,,,still use air france as its a short lay over in paris wheels up...fuck me 148 days.....

[adammike]

7 hours ago, LeoTex said:

You need to fix the poll.

#3. If Yes, what airline?

you answer no on #2. you still have to vote on #3 to submit vote.

LeoTex

BTW, I have never been turned down for drinks in business, first or economy on any airline I have flown on.

He needs to fix his drinking problem. 

[adammike]

4 hours ago, Queef_Sniffer said:

Corrected, thanks for the input.

15% of it was ice?  Maybe if it was only 1 cube.  But let's do the math.

200ML?   Ok, we'll go with that measure

200ML  @ 80% full = 160ML of liquid/ice

15% ice?  Unlikely.  By the looks of it, it's at least 30% ice.  (and that's a conservative estimate)

30% of 160ML = 48ML ....... which means 160-48=112ML of other remaining liquid

Now, the moment of truth.  How much Whiskey was in that 112ML of remaining liquid?

Well, considering that a standard shot of alcohol is 1.5 oz. or 44.3 ML, the remaining liquid inside would need to be pretty clear considering that 44.3ML of 112ML is ~39%  

That glass is dark brown.   

I can assure you that it isn't even CLOSE to having an average shot poured in, nor is it even close to being the average size of ~236ML of a regular 8oz. drink.  At best, that drink had 30ML of whiskey - and that's an extremely gracious assumption, considering I've been giving you benefit of the doubt estimates.  That drink had barely an aroma of any alcohol in it.

As I stated earlier, I'm 6'1 240 lbs.  Not 5'6 160 lbs.  Alcohol affects me far less than the noted 5'6 counterpart.

The 6'1 240lbs may well have been the factor in wanting to curb your alcohol intake,your fellow passengers may well have been perturbed by your drinking and had a quite word with the purser,I know I would have been looking sideways at you if you were drinking so much, and frankly you come across as a coiled spring ready to unravel at any moment you don't get your own way.

[mbamber]

Flying with easyjet do not want to pay their prices but do have a drink before the flight went into the Espire Lounge Manchester there was a sign only 2 drinks in the lounge allowed never had a problem had about 4 in the 1 1/2 hours well within my limit. But on my last flight to Tenerife it was a right fuck up and 1 person drank 1/2 his duty free Vodka bottle neat but he did not cause any trouble some do on 1/2 that.

[ctrlcopypaste482]

I had a moment like this on a recent flight to BKK. I can't remember if it was Korean Air, or Air China, but I was refused a third beer after the first drink service, then dinner. It was a male too, and he said something like "maybe wait until next time". So I've had like two shitty canned beers at 4%, while eating, and I was refused a third. All I wanted to do was drink a couple beers and have a nap. On a flight to Costa Rica, through Panama, the stewardess just kept dropping beers off at our row without even asking and that was only like a 5.5 hour flight.

Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk

[vimto66]

5 hours ago, Queef_Sniffer said:

Corrected, thanks for the input.

15% of it was ice?  Maybe if it was only 1 cube.  But let's do the math.

200ML?   Ok, we'll go with that measure

200ML  @ 80% full = 160ML of liquid/ice

15% ice?  Unlikely.  By the looks of it, it's at least 30% ice.  (and that's a conservative estimate)

30% of 160ML = 48ML ....... which means 160-48=112ML of other remaining liquid

Now, the moment of truth.  How much Whiskey was in that 112ML of remaining liquid?

Well, considering that a standard shot of alcohol is 1.5 oz. or 44.3 ML, the remaining liquid inside would need to be pretty clear considering that 44.3ML of 112ML is ~39%  

That glass is dark brown.   

I can assure you that it isn't even CLOSE to having an average shot poured in, nor is it even close to being the average size of ~236ML of a regular 8oz. drink.  At best, that drink had 30ML of whiskey - and that's an extremely gracious assumption, considering I've been giving you benefit of the doubt estimates.  That drink had barely an aroma of any alcohol in it.

As I stated earlier, I'm 6'1 240 lbs.  Not 5'6 160 lbs.  Alcohol affects me far less than the noted 5'6 counterpart.

.....that sounds complicated!

[vimto66]

With violent incidents on the rise i can fully understand the reason whey airlines want to be carefull,even though i like drinking it wouldnt bother me in the slightest if they banned it completely on flights,im not saying they should...just that i wouldnt be bothered!

[wadman]

8 hours ago, Queef_Sniffer said:

..

I literally drank my weight in Whiskey and cokes on the way there.  

...

The last time I flew ANA, I must've ordered 15 or so, and never once was told anything.

Well, look what happens when the flight attendants don't stop you.  Personally, if I were on a flight I would prefer if my fellow passengers only had a drink or 2.

 

 

 

[LeoTex]

5 hours ago, Queef_Sniffer said:

I can assure you that it isn't even CLOSE to having an average shot poured in, nor is it even close to being the average size of ~236ML of a regular 8oz. drink.  At best, that drink had 30ML of whiskey - and that's an extremely gracious assumption, considering I've been giving you benefit of the doubt estimates.  That drink had barely an aroma of any alcohol in it.

As I stated earlier, I'm 6'1 240 lbs.  Not 5'6 160 lbs.  Alcohol affects me far less than the noted 5'6 counterpart.

I never told you I was 5'6", but thats what I am.

When in economy when the beverage card come down the aisle, I ask for a full can of "snappy tom" or what every other type spicy tomato mixer they have. Then I politely ask if I can have 2 miniature vodka to go with that. Most of the time when the cart is being pushed back up the aisle, the flight attended will stop as refill my glass with ice and also drop off an other vodka.

My point is just about all the time I get a miniature bottle of what every liquor I'm drinking when ordering a drink on the plane. Put that in the small glass they are using and then fill it up with what every mixer you're using, You have a very (very) strong drink. I pretty much fly first/business most of the time because of upgrades. I can't think of a time when they poured the drink, I think I mixed them.

LeoTex  

[mbamber]

Booked to Thailand Twice both Emirates Business Class (Been upgraded to first) First time from Manchester to Dubai there was an Arab on board he was well gone the Staff at the bar were trying to get him to eat something but he was Friendly & Harmless.Next flight was upgraded to First went to the bar & one passenger was already pissed and causing trouble even though we were only in the air about an hour another passenger wanted to thump him the Scouse Female Purser just said she would handle it in the end everything was fine and I ended up getting reasonably pissed standing between them. In Emirates it is all from Bottles no Minatures. 

[hioctane]

I think asking for a drink every 20 minutes or every hour is a bit much.. I think every 2 hours should be ok. Next time, order the liquor without ice and get a can of soda and a cup of ice separate. This should last you a couple of hours.

[mbamber]

6 minutes ago, hioctane said:

I think asking for a drink every 20 minutes or every hour is a bit much.. I think every 2 hours should be ok. Next time, order the liquor without ice and get a can of soda and a cup of ice separate. This should last you a couple of hours.

I drink ever 2 hours the bars in Pattaya must love you.