A JetBlue passenger shared video of herself drinking alcohol she’d brought on board herself. She says a a flight attendant told her this wasn’t allowed, so she shushed the camera and apparently set out to do it anyway.
The video follows her carrying two large frozen drinks through the terminal and down the jet bridge. Once seated around row 6, she smiles, repeatedly signals “quiet,” and tips a clear miniature bottle into an ice-filled plastic cup on her tray table.
The woman’s surrounding social media posts suggests this was in Aruba including visits to Secrets Baby Beach and to Flamingo Beach. Based on timing of that trip and video posting, and other social media showing she’s from Florida, this looks like JetBlue 1612 from Aruba to Fort Lauderdale on July 31. It looks like aircraft N621JB, which is a 2005 Airbus A320.
- Friends appear to enjoy the video’s mocking of inflight alcohol rules, while strangers commenting on the viral video warn about the FAA, fines and no fly lists.
- The passenger backs off a bit, calling the video “bait” and thanking critics for contributing to her “coins,” asking “but did I drink it though…and was it water?”
- One commenter invited a critic to “CC the FBI & homeland security” while reminding them to like, share and comment. Another asked whether “corporate security” offered good benefits for working nights in the comment section.
The rule against drinking your own alcohol onboard is
The actual regulation is 14 CFR §121.575(a). You can only drink an alcoholic beverage on a commercial flight when the operating carrier serves it.
You can bring your own alcohol (subject to TSA liquid rules if bringing the bottle through security) and some other restrictions like alcohol content. You just can’t serve it to yourself. Some airlines will let you bring your own alcohol, and they’ll serve it to you.
I’ve written about a United flight attendant confiscating open miniature bottles from passengers and passengers trying to disguise a mimosa inside a Starbucks cup.
I even had a seat opponent on American Airlines bring alcohol from an Admiral’s Club onboard and argue that a flight attendant who wanted to collect it and serve the woman a new drink once in the air ‘was wasting company resources’. Law enforcement met the flight on arrival. The rule is designed to let cabin crew monitor how much a passenger is drinking and stop service when necessary.
That doesn’t make drinking your own booze a “federal crime” though, since it’s usually civil regulatory matter. The maximum penalty is $17,062 per violation, but notably FAA enforcement guidance shows drinking alcohol not served by the carrier as Severity 1, the least serious category. Where there are significant fines it’s generally where there’s additional conduct like abuse, assaults, or a diversion.
Posting the video afterward isn’t illegal, but it’s potentially evidence of the offense. They’d still have to prove that it was alcohol and that it was consumed.
Why should I have to follow the rules, sounds like racism if you ask me.
In before someone comes here and defends the right of the corporations to screw people.
Gin to win!
JetBlue is one of the airlines that at least historically allowed passengers to consume alcohol they brought with them IF the flight attendants served it.
Poking a bear rarely ends well.
“They’d still have to prove that it was alcohol and that it was consumed.” All I see is ‘water.’
Many states have two different laws regarding the service of alcoholic beverages. There is a “beer and wine” license and a separate “spirits” or distilled liquor license. That’s why, when you go to some restaurants you will find no “hard liquor” being served. In most states, the servers must have a local “license” to serve alcoholic beverages. As a commercial airline pilot instructor, I know that the aircraft must have (besides the FAA required documents), a “certificate of sanitary construction” for the galley and a blanket “liquor” pouring license good for operating on or flying over most states. Some states require a specific pouring license. These documents are usually found, near the cockpit door, attached to the wall of the cockpit along with the required FAA documents. Just like in a public bar, only the staff can “pour” the liquor.
Some people behave like jerks because they crave attention. That rarely ends well although modern culture sometimes celebrates jerkdom.
@David Samson — My brother in ‘christ’… please see our ‘Dear Leader’… patient zero. (‘TDS!’)
Good for her.
This stupid attitude that you aren’t allowed to have a drink here or there, can’t have a drink while in a car or walking on the street ect. How about I drink what I want and where I want it.
If I’m not over the legal limit does it matter if I’m drinking in a car?
This and gambling laws are so stupid and should be ignored and mocked.
@Walter Barry — You really are Russian, aren’t you.
“This and gambling laws are so stupid and should be ignored and mocked.”
Make certain to include the “War on Drugs”. What an abject failure.
This is the reason airlines should have penalties for people who do not think the rules apply to them. As a flight attendant who has dealt with over served passengers and had them removed before flight, its not a joke! If we have to evacuate, have an emergency landing, or a water evacuation, god forbid, the person who was overserved will not follow directions, or commands and will not only risk their lives, but the lives of others. If we are serving you we know exactly how much youve had to drink, drinks affect people differently at 34,000 feet. If you think you are saving $$ the fines are much worse, and if we call authorities, bail money is way more that a drink on the plane. IT IS A SAFETY MATTER
@Mike P — So, that ‘horseshoe theory’ is real, huh…
Good for her, bravo! She had a drink and avoided being shafted by the airlines greed. They don’t mind if you drink alcohol in a flight as long as it’s THEIR alcohol. They wrote a monopolistic wannabe rule and got their pals at the FAA to make it a “law”. Two thumbs up and high fives to this innovative lady
Black Lives Matter. Hey, dem airline rules ain’t gonna be applyin to us.
@DFWSteve — Based on your post history at this site, I’ll assume that was thinly-veiled… satire.
Florida Woman incarnate. If I was JetBlue I’d ban her on general principle. Do they really want idiots not only doing this stuff but bragging about it online?
I see the typical fatigue.
Walter Barry you need a frontal lobotomy!
People trying to get likes by doing stupid stuff deserve to be no-fly listed on the airline and have their social media account deleted and limited.
Let’s say it wasn’t alcohol. Why watch a blog where somebody is just lying to you? I guess I just don’t get why somebody would want to post it or watch it.