Reader Barbara writes:

I purchased some Bailey’s on a Southwest flight. I got it without a cap in a small bottle. I asked for the cap so I wouldn’t spill it during the flight. The flight attendant grudgingly gave it to me. After I was done, I wanted to take the EMPTY bottle home with me. I showed her it was empty. She required/demanded that I throw it away. No explanation. Is this an FAA regulation, or is Southwest just overly obsessive about alcohol and containers?

Perhaps she really cared about recycling?

I think you’ve got an overzealous flight attendant interpreting “open container” laws in an overly strict fashion. I’m pretty sure there’s no FAA, TSA, ATF, FTC, IMF, or CIA rule banning empty mini-bottles on airplanes. I sure hope not.

Heck, next time, you could always bring your own under-3 ounce mini bottle on board (loaded in a one-quart plastic bag, of course, for security screening). You’re not technically allowed to drink your own alcohol on board a flight in the U.S., but you can argue that the bottle was yours, and you’re keeping it.

But hopefully that was the worst thing to happen on that flight, and you weren’t hitting the sauce to take your mind off the rest of your in-flight experience…

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Categorized in: Southwest Airlines, bizarre, booze, reader mail

5 Comments

5 Responses to “Reader mail: What’s wrong with empty bottles?”

1. 
   jan Says:
   May 3rd, 2007 at 5:01 am

   They have to collect the empty’s so that FA’s can’t steel the drinks. If the number of bottles (empty and full) equals the number of bottles loades none is stolen. If FA’s would steel only two bottles per flight, you do the math …

2. 
   Mark Ashley Says:
   May 3rd, 2007 at 7:57 am

   That makes sense, if the mini-bottles are collected again and kept for inventory. But I’ve seen plenty of mini-bottles go straight into the all-purpose trash bag, where it’s impossible to track. Maybe some airlines keep inventory of empties, while others don’t?

3. 
   Johnny Franco Says:
   May 4th, 2007 at 5:37 pm

   I’m a flight attendant and have worked for 3 airlines – None of which ever kept inventory of anything sold onboard. As far as the SW flight attendant, that’s just called in our world being “anal”!

4. 
   Oliver Ibbotson Says:
   October 10th, 2008 at 8:19 pm

   I think if the purser is extremely anal they might keep a track in their head but they certainly don;t check them in or out. What about those people who pop the additional baileys in their hand luggage for later?

5. 
   Monica Bernardino Says:
   May 24th, 2009 at 4:43 pm

   I like southwest airlines because it’s outrageous. When I’m in Make a wish foundation I went to Disney World in orlando florida. Southwest Airlines flight there in December 4, 2008. I love it.

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