Prepare to get smashed at 30,000 feet over Japan

8:00 PM on 07.09.2010   |   Bob Muir

It always seemed a little unfair to me that airlines don't allow you to bring alcohol on flights. Unless you spring for the seats in business class, the worst part of long distance travel for me is always the plane ride. Being allowed to put myself into a drunken stupor would go a ways toward making these ordeals bearable. I know many planes sell little shots of rum or vodka if you want it, but that's not nearly enough to do the trick unless you're a teetotaler.

The rumblings of change are upon us, though, as All Nippon Airways has announced its new status as the first airline to offer draft beer in the history of aviation. It won't be available on every flight, being an option mostly on flights to Okinawa starting on July 20. Prices range from ¥800-1000, about the price of a drink in a Tokyo bar. The implementation of beer dispensers was apparently considered in the past, but issues with air pressure during flight remained unsolved until now.

The only drawback to this new feature is that the beer is in short supply: 20 cups of beer per flight, with the Tokyo-Okinawa flight limited to 40 cups. It sounds like you'll have to share the meager booze with other passengers, limiting your true drunken potential! This sounds like a technological limitation which, hopefully, can be overcome and usher in a new era of high altitude drinking.

Kanpai!

[Japan Probe via CNNGo]

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