British Midland has defended its decision to refuse to fly a group of 32 GAA players and officials home from Heathrow last Sunday, on the grounds that some members were "acting in a drunken and unruly manner".
There were eight non-drinkers in the party, including the Westmeath county board PRO, Mr Patrick Doherty, who said: "I was in a far better state to travel on Sunday night at 9.30 p.m. than on Monday morning at 10 to 7, not having slept the night."
The group had checked in and were engaging in "a bit of good-humoured banter and slapping in the departure lounge. They didn't interfere with any other passenger or any other passenger's property . . . an airport official said he considered some members of the group were behaving in a drunken and unruly manner. They treated us as a group so we were not allowed to travel," he said.
A statement from British Midland said the decision not to allow a passenger to board was taken very seriously. "Not allowing a passenger to board a flight causes considerable disruption and inconvenience to other passengers and the airline. For these reasons, the decision is taken only when it is the opinion of British Midland staff that the integrity of the flight is in question."
Policies vary with different airlines but essentially in all cases the airline has the right to exercise discretion in refusing to fly potentially disruptive passengers.
Irish airlines do not collect statistics on inflight disruptive incidents. British statistics (April 1999 - March 2000) show 1,205 incidents, ranging from the minor to the more serious.
A European Commission consultation document says possible factors causing air rage include fear of flying, excess use of alcohol and drugs, poor quality of air on board and the confined environment. The airlines must bear some responsibility, particularly if alcohol has been served or sold on board, it states.
A spokeswoman for the European Consumers' Centre suggested that structured rules, possibly including alcohol limits, were required.
A spokesman for the Air Transport Users' Council said it would defend the rights of airlines to exclude a person when in doubt.
Aer Lingus says it will deal with individual members of groups but different incidents may require different measures. Denial of boarding is at the discretion of the duty manager.