Cork man reveals journey from hell after drunken passenger vomits on his head
A Cork man has revealed his own journey from hell after a drunken passenger on a Ryanair flight vomited all over him.
Conor Lyden was travelling on board a Ryanair flight from Cork to Malaga on May 27 which took off at approximately 3pm.
He told Joe Duffy's Liveline show how he noticed a passenger at the boarding gate, who was heavily intoxicated, attempting to board the plane with two full alcoholic drinks in his hand.
Mr Lyden said the man was told that taking the drinks on board would not be allowed but was then allowed to finish them quickly in the presence of airport staff and then board the plane.
The Cork man revealed that when on the plane the man was extremely disruptive before the flight even began to move with staff having to tell him to be quiet and to sit down on several occasions.
Mr Lyden revealed how the man then proceeded to vomit all over him, down his chest and his laptop.
"He came stumbling down the aisle behind me and vomited all over my head, down my front and my laptop which is no longer working."
Mr Lydon then revealed how he had to sit for the next two hours of the flight without a change of clothes.
The Cork man's story is the latest in a series of issues around alcohol on flights and has raised questions about the ability of passengers to access alcohol before and during flights.
In a statement, Ryanair said: “Cabin crew on board this flight provided assistance to the customer in question, who confirmed their laptop was working normally. Our customer service team have since liaised with this customer and asked them to submit and receipts for dry cleaning expenses.
"As the largest airline in Europe, Ryanair's number one priority is the safety of our customers, crew and aircraft and has a zero-tolerance policy towards alcohol and disruptive behaviour.
Ryanair does not allow ‘intoxicated’ passengers onboard our aircraft. We operate strict guidelines for the carriage of customers who are disruptive or appear to be under the influence of alcohol.
"It’s completely unfair that airports can profit from the unlimited sale of alcohol to passengers and leave the airlines to deal with the safety consequences. This is a particular problem during flight delays when airports apply no limit to the sale of alcohol in airside bars and restaurants.
"This is an issue which the airports must now address and we are calling for significant changes to prohibit the sale of alcohol at airports, particularly with early morning flights and when flights are delayed.”
