Flying drunk: British passengers on Turkey-bound plane guzzle booze stock within 25 mins

Intoxicated passengers on planes have been a bane for airlines in recent years. But, in some cases they make for a good business for airlines.

Recently, British passengers on a flight to Turkey consumed all of the plane’s alcohol supply in less than half an hour into the four-hour flight, The Independent reported.

The incident occurred on a recent SunExpress flight, during which US-German chief executive Max Kownatzki said that British travelers were “more high-spend, more hedonistic” than the travellers from other nations.

According to the report, Kownatzki said that the flight in question was targeted specifically at golfers, even though it is unclear which departing airport the aircraft took off from, when it took off, or how many people were on board.

“We sold out of beer and wine 25 minutes after departure; we have not done that in any other market,” Kownatzki said, elucidating the speed at which alcohol supplies were drained.

Since 2022, the Turkish airline has expanded from five to nine UK airports, almost doubling the number of locations it serves.

As mentioned in the report, in addition to the current Turkish destinations of Antalya, Izmir, and Dalaman, SunExpress flights are offered from Birmingham, Edinburgh, Gatwick, Luton, Manchester, Bristol, and Newcastle.

From its 1989 launch as part of a joint venture between Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa, SunExpress has operated for 35 years. In August 2023, it was named Europe’s best leisure airline.