American and Southwest Airlines Ban Alcohol on Flights

Afterward, in a memo acquired by CNN, Brady Byrnes, managing director of flight service at American, wrote to flight attendants: “Flight attendants are on the front lines every day not only ensuring our customers’ safety, but are also calming fears, answering questions, and enforcing policies like federally-required face masks.”

Byrnes added that alcohol can “contribute to atypical behavior from customers onboard.”

According to the FAA, since Jan. 1, it has received “approximately 2,500 reports of unruly behavior by passengers, including about 1,900 reports of passengers refusing to comply with the federal facemask mandate.”

Southwest has put off alcohol service until further notice, whereas American is only serving alcohol in business and first class for the time being.