Southwest won’t be serving flyers any alcohol until at least 2022.
Just when Southwest was about to bring back alcohol in June, unruly passengers had to mess it up for everyone else. On Monday, a spokesperson for the airline sat down for an interview with Travel + Leisure and explained the decision to put a hold on alcoholic beverages.
In addition to the uncouth flyers, Southwest said its decision works alongside the federal transportation mask mandate, extended until at least Jan. 18, 2022. “There are no current plans to bring back alcohol prior to January 2022,” the spokesperson told the travel company. Most of the people to blame are those who refuse to follow along with wearing a mask. There have been 3,800 reports of unruly behavior, and 73 percent of those reports come from people who wouldn’t wear a mask.
But flyers acting a fool on board is going to cost them a pretty penny. The Federal Aviation Administration has doubled the penalty amount for people who refuse to wear a mask. Those who go against the rule will be charged $500 to $1,000 for their first offense. And if they continue to cut up, they’ll get a bill of $1,000 to $3,000.
