American and Southwest Airlines Pause Plans to Resume Alcohol Service

Southwest Airlines and American Airlines have said in recent days they will hold off for now on resuming alcoholic beverage services. The announcements come after a flight attendant was assaulted on a Southwest flight. That was just the latest instance in a surge of passenger incidents on board.

On May 23, a Southwest passenger was arrested on suspicion of felony battery causing serious injury after she allegedly struck a flight attendant during a flight from Sacramento to San Diego. The flight attendant suffered facial injuries and lost two teeth, according to Lyn Montgomery, president of the union that represents Southwest’s flight attendants. Part of the bloody incident was also caught on video.

Video obtained by CBS News shows the moment a Southwest Airlines flight attendant was punched by a passenger after asking her to keep her seat belt fastened during a flight from Sacramento to San Diego Sunday. https://t.co/gQusevodYC pic.twitter.com/oOYvPdwCFj

— CBS News (@CBSNews) May 27, 2021

Airlines were slowly bringing back some service for snacks and beverages, which had been stopped early in the pandemic. American Airlines said it won’t sell alcoholic beverages in the main cabin through September 13. That’s when the federal mask mandate is also set to expire. American will offer alcohol beverages in first and business class but only in flight. Southwest Airlines was set to resume alcohol sales in June for flight to Hawaii and in July for longer domestic flights. But after the incident, Southwest has announced that there is currently “no timetable” for the alcohol sales to resume.