While I yearn for the days where I was young enough for this to be relevant to me, I figure it’s still a topic worth addressing, for any younger OMAAT readers. What’s the minimum age to drink onboard a flight? Well, it’s not always that straightforward…
In this post:
The legal minimum drinking age on planes
Let me start with the legal answer, which is actually not that relevant. The legal minimum drinking age on a flight is determined by the law of the country where the airline you’re flying is based. Now, as I’ll explain below, many airlines have additional restrictions beyond that.
As you can tell, this creates an interesting situation. For example, on a flight between Atlanta and Frankfurt, the minimum drinking age is different on Delta than on Lufthansa.
Now, there are a few more points to make:
- There are some dry airlines that choose not to serve alcohol, even if they’re from a country that doesn’t ban alcohol completely
- Some countries have restrictions that they apply to foreign airlines; for example, Saudi Arabia doesn’t allow airlines to serve alcohol when flying to & from Saudi Arabia, while over Saudi Arabian airspace; meanwhile if you’re just overflying Saudi Arabia between two other countries, airlines can serve alcohol
- Different laws can often apply to pre-departure beverages, since those are served on the ground, so they’re viewed differently than alcohol served inflight; as a result, local laws apply, airlines have to pay taxes on that alcohol, etc.
Airline policies determine drinking age on planes
While laws set the absolute minimum standard for the age at which you can drink onboard a flight, the reality is that airlines each have their own policies, and those take priority over the laws (since they’re always at least as strict as the law). Just to give some examples:
- On all US-based airlines, the minimum drinking age is 21, even if you’re flying internationally, and/or are originating in a foreign country
- On foreign airlines, the most common minimum drinking age is 18, even if you’re flying to the United States; this includes everything from Aeromexico, to British Airways, to Lufthansa, to Qantas
- There are some airlines that have drinking ages between 18 and 21; for example, in Japan the minimum drinking age is 20, so that also applies on All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines
In these situations, these laws apply regardless of the phase of flight. So on a US airline, you can only drink at the age of 21, even over European airspace, while on a European airline, you can drink at the age of 18, even over US airspace.
Keep in mind that in some cases, these airline policies are significantly more strict than laws in the countries otherwise. For example, in Germany you can drink beer at the age of 16, but you can’t drink it onboard a Lufthansa flight until you’re 18.
On some level it’s just about how you act
Alcohol is taboo in the United States, though outside the country, it’s much less of a big deal, and is normalized more (in a responsible way). So if you look and act the part, generally you won’t be denied alcohol on an international flight on a foreign airline, even if you’re technically underage. Of course there are limits, and it all depends on how old you look.
Furthermore, in the event you’re denied, it’s no biggie. International laws are complicated, so it’s not like they’ll have the police waiting for you upon landing if you request a drink underage — you can just say “oh, I thought the drinking age was ___.”
I’m by no means encouraging people to underage drink, but am just sharing my observations and experience from back in the day, so that people can have realistic expectations.
Bottom line
The answer of the minimum drinking age on flights is kind of complicated. The absolute minimum age will reflect the drinking age in the country where the airline you’re flying is based. But even beyond that, many airlines will have stricter rules, so that they can have a streamlined policy throughout their network.
It is interesting how two planes in international airspace operating exactly the same route could have different minimum drinking ages, but that’s how it works…
What has your experience been with the minimum drinking age of flights?
My experience was that European airlines always adhered to European culture: when with my parents, if they were having wine with dinner and I asked for wine, I was served wine.
It’s my understanding that there’s no federal drinking age because it’s a matter of state law. The National Minimum Drinking Age Act penalizes states who don’t keep their minimum drinking age to 21 or above but it doesn’t actually set any federal age. That’s why Puerto Rico’s drinking age is 18; they take the highway funding cut and deal with it so they can keep their drinking age lower.
I’ve been served alcohol before turning...
It’s my understanding that there’s no federal drinking age because it’s a matter of state law. The National Minimum Drinking Age Act penalizes states who don’t keep their minimum drinking age to 21 or above but it doesn’t actually set any federal age. That’s why Puerto Rico’s drinking age is 18; they take the highway funding cut and deal with it so they can keep their drinking age lower.
I’ve been served alcohol before turning 21 on American Airlines countless times. The first time I did it on a flight to DFW because my father was next to me and Texas law allows alcohol to be served to minors in the presence of consenting parents. After that I got brave and just ordered it as if I were already 21. Since I was well behaved, no flight attendant ever stopped to check my ID. I doubt being served on interstate flights, much less international flights, is a violation of any laws because airspace is only subject to federal laws. Not sure how the law works for intrastate flights. But in any case, it’s the airlines setting the rules themselves to be on the safe side, and even then, as others here have said, it’s not enforced if you keep your mouth shut and look old enough.
A few years back my 18 year old son was flying Air France Business class either to or from the US (I can't remember) on an award tickets I'd wrangled for him. He wanted a drink but didn't know which country he was effectively in.
Without missing a beat the male flight attendant told him "'when you on this airplane, you are in France."
Perfect reply.
This might be a decent place to ask a question about Saudi Airlines.
If you're flying on them via Saudi (they often have cheap flights from Asia to Europe) can you bring alcohol in your checked baggage? Can you have duty free booze in a sealed bag in the cabin?
This is full of misinformation. Lufthansa's drinking age is 16 for beer/wine and 18 for liquor. That has always been the rule in the Lufthansa magazine.
Alcohol is taboo in the United States? Since when?
Since Prohibition probably. We have a minimum drinking age of 21 while most of the world has it at 16 for beer/wine and 18 for hard liquor. And in Europe you can drink outside, but in the US that's illegal. I've been told by friends in Europe that they think the US views alcohol as "Satan juice."
In some cases, it is not only depending on the age of the drinker but also age of the server. When CX had a YVR base, the age requirement to be hired was 19 and up because BC labor law does not allow person under age 19 to serve alcohol.
I recall some years ago, on an overnight DL flight from ACC-JFK, a passenger was turning 21 that midnight. There was some discussion among the flight crew as to how exactly it was determined when he hit 21. They eventually went with GMT (local time in Accra), probably in part because he was well-behaved and, being an overnight flight, it made the most logical sense to let him have his drink and then go to sleep.
Meanwhile in the US, at 18 years old you can buy an AR-15, even if you have certain mental problems...
God bless America.
That's because of the insane ammosexual cults like the NRA. If someone is ammosexual but calls themselves pro-life, they're a hypocrite.
Other countries have even issued travel warnings referring to the US as a "gun society" with a risk of "gunfire incidents everywhere".
Example: https://www.anzen.mofa.go.jp/od/ryojiMailDetail.html?keyCd=74322
All about how you act: was served drinks beginning at age 15 on Delta and other carriers.
I haven't actually ever seen this enforced, but I assume the minimum drinking age even for foreign airlines while on the ground in the US would be 21, right?
The drinking age of 21 in the United States is responsible for enormous amounts of wasted law enforcement resources, especially in college towns. Cops ticketing harmless students with red solo cups in their hands. Courts and judges having to deal with the paperwork that everybody knows is nonsense.
A sensible play would be to enforce DUI more heavily in the time cops are spending writing MIP tickets. We don’t need a law to lower the...
The drinking age of 21 in the United States is responsible for enormous amounts of wasted law enforcement resources, especially in college towns. Cops ticketing harmless students with red solo cups in their hands. Courts and judges having to deal with the paperwork that everybody knows is nonsense.
A sensible play would be to enforce DUI more heavily in the time cops are spending writing MIP tickets. We don’t need a law to lower the drinking age. Cops can use their discretion not to enforce it. Prosecutors can use their discretion not to prosecute it.
We can thank Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the passage of the National Minimum Age Drinking Act of 1984 for the drinking age of 21 in the U.S., which required states to raise their drinking age to 21 or lose a portion of their federal highway funds. Well-intentioned legislation meant to reduce drunk driving rates, but goofy for university/college towns and dividing up university/college students by legal vs. prohibited when it comes to alcohol possession...
We can thank Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the passage of the National Minimum Age Drinking Act of 1984 for the drinking age of 21 in the U.S., which required states to raise their drinking age to 21 or lose a portion of their federal highway funds. Well-intentioned legislation meant to reduce drunk driving rates, but goofy for university/college towns and dividing up university/college students by legal vs. prohibited when it comes to alcohol possession (why not have a drinking age of 19 like most provinces in Canada, for example, which is a common age for people entering university/college)?
The first time I remember feeling drunk was on a KLM flight from Amsterdam to Detroit when I was 17 back in the late '90s. I probably only had a couple of beers, but that was more than enough for my skinny high school self!
Good for you. I bet you were still a virgin. Maybe to this day, you’re a virgin!
Thanks for making it weird lol
Before the Joyce days (i.e. before I exercised better value options), I was frequently offered wine on Qantas domestic even though I was obviously in my mid teens. I accepted once to try my luck and they obliged with a wink. My recent post-Joyce flight was pretty nice with the wine too, but alas I don't look 15 any more.
I was on a United flight from London to DC in 2021 (in premium economy) and heard a flight attendant come back from Polaris and ask another flight attendant, “what is the drinking age on this flight?”
“21. (Pause) …maybe 18 in business class”
I’m curious - you have mentioned quite a few times that in certain cases airlines are charged taxes on alcohol served on the ground. I understand it from a standpoint of tax law, but I am very curious how it is quantified and enforced. Do airlines pay an average tax per alcoholic beverage they “expect” to serve on the ground based on number of premium seats, are the flight attendants expected and or required to...
I’m curious - you have mentioned quite a few times that in certain cases airlines are charged taxes on alcohol served on the ground. I understand it from a standpoint of tax law, but I am very curious how it is quantified and enforced. Do airlines pay an average tax per alcoholic beverage they “expect” to serve on the ground based on number of premium seats, are the flight attendants expected and or required to keep track of what is served on the ground versus in the air, if the flight attendant opens a bottle of Krug and pours one glass, does the airline pay taxes on the whole bottle or the value of the single glass? It seems like a largely unenforceable tax policy so I am curious how it really works.
@ Timtamtrak -- Airlines pay taxes on a certain number of pre-determined bottles. These are catered separately from the alcohol severed inflight, so the taxes are based on how many bottles there are, rather than actual consumption. As you point out, though, it's hard to enforce this.
@Ben Schlappig - British customs is infamous for making spot checks on aircraft during boarding to ensure that the bar seals are still intact and that only duty paid bottles are being used on ground.
@Timtamtrak - Duty free alcohol is placed in carts/boxes with customs seals and it is an offence to break that seal until the aircraft door has closed for departure to an international point. The alcohol used on ground is tax...
@Ben Schlappig - British customs is infamous for making spot checks on aircraft during boarding to ensure that the bar seals are still intact and that only duty paid bottles are being used on ground.
@Timtamtrak - Duty free alcohol is placed in carts/boxes with customs seals and it is an offence to break that seal until the aircraft door has closed for departure to an international point. The alcohol used on ground is tax paid, exactly as if you bought it from any wholesaler. If unopened, it carries over to the next flight and so forth.
Thank you all for responding - that’s honestly fascinating! Had no idea there would be such a system, but it makes perfect sense to do it that way, including spot checks on the ground.
"...if the flight attendant opens a bottle of Krug and pours one glass, does the airline pay taxes on the whole bottle or the value of the single glass?"
If the bottle is opened, the tax is paid on the bottle.
I didn't get this sentence: "Alcohol is taboo in the United States, though outside the country..." Is there maybe a word missing?
The missing word is "bullshit" - the only country I know that enjoys alcohol more than America is Ireland. "Taboo" - maybe in church on Sunday between 9 and 11, but otherwise bwahahahaha.
Americans outside NYC hold Puritan views on alcohol. Walk on Broadway with a can of beer in your hand and a cop will just tell you to throw it away. Walk on a street in middle America with the same and you will be formally ticketed.
Or Las Vegas.
Apoplectic when they see a beer but a gun is fine.
In Texas you can legally walk down the street with a beer. The state however, does give power to local governments to restrict this.
UK transport is exempt from licencing as long as moving, surprised plane not same as train
I don’t think the part about Finnair is correct. Firstly, in Finland, when you buy alcohol in a store, the limit is 18 for beer and wine but 20 for anything that contains more than 21% alcohol. So 20, not 21. Secondly, this only applies to retail. Restaurants can serve alcohol to anyone who is 18, regardless of the actual alcohol content. Therefore, I would assume that the age limit is 18 on Finnair for any alcohol.
Actually you can drink beer and wine from age 14 when you are with your parents. And age 16 without them.
In Germany
And this seems like quite a good policy I drank one glass of wine at age 14, found it disgusting and have not consumed any alcohol since. Prohibition is not the way to go. People are able to judge for themselves.
Agreed. Generally I would say it is preferable for a child to "learn" drinking habits from their parents compared to secretly under a bridge with a bottle of vodka provided by some stranger. But I also know of some parents who themselve have a drinking problem and started giving their kids daily alcohol... but sure, probably this is not due to the law and would have happened anyway.