Getting Airplane Wasted? Think Again.

While we're no strangers to some pre-boarding mimosas or mid-flight martinis during some of our flights (First/Biz class? HOLLER!), getting wasted on a flight is an all around bad situation. Not only are you double-dehydrated and pretty much trapped on a plane—it can also lead to some serious problems. Like getting arrested. And if the International Civil Aviation Organization has it's way, the punishments for turning all the way up mid-air are getting even more serious. Says Jaunted:

"The ICAO sites a specific trans-Pacific flight in 2011 carrying two excessively drunk business execs who were so severely physically and verbally abusive to the crew and passengers that the plane had to be diverted. This ultimately cost the airline around $200,000; that's a hefty price to pay when profit margins are barely running on fumes.From this discussion the Montréal Protocol 2014 was introduced; this is an amendment to the 1963 protocol for the same situations, now giving airport staff more control to deny boarding (and further drinks) to any passengers that might have drank a bit too much. The 78-page document (available in 6 different languages) also proposes to extend the right to prosecute offenses to the flight’s destination country instead of the airplane's country of registration, and gives the captain of the plane a lot more power when serious offenses are committed."

So what does this mean? Say for instance you decide to go all the way on a trip to Costa Rica. This means that when you land in San José…you're going to a Costa Rican jail instead of a hotel. And depending on what their laws are concerning public intoxication, you could be in for more drama than that margarita was ever worth. So the next time you plan on creating your own cocktails mid-flight, just be sure to double up on the water, order a sandwich and keep it cute. Because jail visit in a foreign country may make for a cool travel story, but it's a horrible wat to spend a vacation.