Indulging in a cocktail or two on a long flight can be a treat. However, pilots, passengers, and airline staff definitely don’t want anyone to be drunk on an airplane. After all, a commercial airline flight is a closed environment with obvious security concerns. So, can authorities arrest you for intoxication on a flight?

You can end up in handcuffs for being disruptively drunk on an airplane

After the tragedy of 9/11, the government and airlines understandably take safety and security very, very seriously. As such, some domestic flights have armed federal air marshalls aboard to handle apparent hazards to security. However, an air marshall is unlikely to break cover to deal with a drunk person on an airplane.

However, even without a federal air marshall on board, disruptive intoxication on an airplane can land you in trouble with the authorities. For starters, if you drink too much at home or in a terminal, airline staff may refuse to board you. It’s understandable, too. A drunk passenger can distract staff from providing a comfortable, safe flying experience to the rest of an aircraft’s passengers. 

Furthermore, if you overindulge on an airplane and get drunk en route to your destination, police may arrest you. Offenders can expect a public intoxication or drunk and disorderly conduct charge, per the practice of Stechschulte Nell. Of course, every adult has a different reaction to alcohol. Those who act out in a violent or disruptive manner are much more likely to end up in handcuffs at their destination. 

Incidentally, a colleague of mine was on a flight that failed to get off the ground due to an inebriated passenger. He told me that a passenger got so drunk in the terminal that they vomited while the aircraft was still on the runway. Unfortunately for the rest of the people on the flight, flight attendants quickly surmised that the passenger was intoxicated rather than ill. It’s unclear whether the police took the drunkard into custody.