Mixing flying and drinking is being questioned again. | Majorca Daily Bulletin reporter

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Last week, footage of a drunken flight between three passengers aboard a flight from Edinburgh to Tenerife reignited the call for the banning of alcohol on planes or at least tougher controls in airports and on flights.

In theory, ground staff have the right to stop a passenger from boarding a plane if the person is considered to have drunk too much and pose a potential threat other passengers and even the aircraft.

However, such action is seldom taken, plus once they are in the skies, passengers are able to continue drinking.

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Last year, Ryanair banned passengers from consuming their bought duty-free alcohol on board flights. Drinking your own alcohol isn’t allowed on any airline, but the low-cost airline was forced to take additional measures after the many diversions and altercations on board.

Destinations affected were Spain’s most popular airports for holiday goers: Alicante, Barcelona, Ibiza, Malaga, Palma and Tenerife South. But now broader action is being called.

One suggestion last week was to breathalyse suspect passengers at the boarding gate while another was simply to curtail bar opening times in airports.

As one travel expert pointed out: "Once a passenger is inside an airport they cannot smoke until their emerge from the airport of their destination. If people can manage a few hours without a smoke, why can’t they do the same when it comes to alcohol?”