Airline business is only viable if it caters to all and not for a selected few like the failed Rayani Air which catered to a particular segment who could not afford to fly

Read more about the failed Islamic Rayani Air run by an Indian and why it failed because the target group could not afford to fly or wanted some extra forbidden extras

Alcohol ban on MAS flights? Ridiculous, says Matta

Serving alcohol not the problem, says Nur Jazlan

Minderjeet Kaur | June 2, 2017

He says the cheap fares MAS is offering may be attracting the ‘wrong characters’ and points out that crew can refuse to serve drinks.

PETALING JAYA: Weighing in on Wednesday night’s disturbance on board a Malaysia Airlines (MAS) plane, an Umno deputy minister says serving alcohol during flights is not the problem.
Nur Jazlan Mohamed said this was because MAS cabin crew had the right to refuse to serve alcohol to difficult or drunk passengers.

“(Cabin crew) can refuse serving alcohol to difficult passengers or when a person is drunk.”
The deputy home minister added that other airlines also served alcohol but were able to manage the situation.

“Maybe it’s the cheap fares that MAS offers that are attracting a different crowd … attracting such characters,” he told FMT.

He added, however, that the captain of a flight was the “boss” on the plane and most passengers were aware that any bad behaviour was punishable in court.

Nur Jazlan was responding to PAS’ proposal to the government to stop serving alcoholic drinks on MAS flights.

PAS made this proposal after a “disruptive passenger” caused its plane to turn back to Melbourne 20 minutes into its flight to Kuala Lumpur.

The passenger, identified as a 25-year-old Sri Lankan man, was said to have been drunk.

However, Australian police later said the passenger had been released from a psychiatric facility just hours before he boarded the plane.

MAS flight MH128 left Melbourne Airport at 11.11pm and was to arrive in Kuala Lumpur at 5.28am today.
It turned back to Melbourne after the operating captain was alerted that a passenger was attempting to enter the cockpit, MAS said.

The Sri Lankan national, who was overpowered by crew members and other passengers, had allegedly threatened to blow up the plane.

The device he claimed was an explosive, turned out to be some sort of speaker.
PPBM Youth chief Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman said he would like to remind PAS members that Muslims are not the only ones who fly on MAS.

“MAS is an international airline. Even global airlines like Qatar Airways, Emirates and Etihad, which belong to Muslim-majority countries, don’t ban alcohol on flights. These are top global airlines,” he told FMT.

He added that airline companies have the discretionary power to dislodge or apprehend unruly passengers who are drunk.

Amanah’s Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad said it was his personal opinion that those who want to consume alcohol should pay more for their drinks.

“When a passenger is booking a flight ticket, he can request for drinks and pay more.
“I would assume that everyone compensating for the drinks of a few is unfair. The person who is drinking should be willing to pay more,” he told FMT.

Khalid said he did not think it was necessary to serve alcohol on flights.
“We have seen problematic cases. Flights do not take more than 24 hours, so the passengers can abstain from drinking.

“On flights, most of the (drunk passengers) I have seen become docile, but it depends on a person,” he said, adding that they could also turn offensive.