Brits are biggest in-flight boozers

British air passengers have been voted the heaviest drinkers according to a survey of 700 international cabin crew by Skyscanner.

54% of Brits begin their holiday with a drink in the airport or onboard a flight

Holidaying Brits beat the Russians into second place according to the travel site, which also polled UK passengers for their reaction to the concept of alcohol-free flights.

According to Skyscanner research, over half of Brits admit to starting their holiday with a drink either in the airport or onboard the plane.

However, 41% of respondents said they would book an alcohol-free flight should it be offered – with a quarter of those saying that this was to avoid the risk of sharing a plane with drunken passengers.

The survey followed a suggestion in November last year by Russian officials to ban vodka on some flights after a report by Russian national carrier Aeroflot identified over 1,000 incidents of drunk passengers being abusive, attacking the crew and fellow passengers and even trying to get inside the cockpit.

Interestingly, the Skyscanner survey also revealed that Brits aged 18-24 were biggest supporters of an in-flight alcohol ban, while travellers from the North East of the UK were most opposed to introducing such a restriction.

Commenting on the findings, Skyscanner’s Victoria Bailie said, “Although British and Russian travellers might be the biggest on-board drinkers, these results are a clear sign that the popularity of alcohol-free flights is on the rise.

“It seems that travellers would prefer to forgo their favourite tipple rather than spend several hours sitting next to someone who has had one too many,” she added.

The survey failed to flag up the fact that Britain’s biggest drinkers are likely to booze more heavily before boarding the plane should an in-flight ban be imposed.