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Are Drinks Free At Priority Pass? Yes and No! ✈

✈ I’m a Priority Pass expert because it’s something I have used for several years when flying as a Professional Traveller.

Are drinks free at Priority Pass?

Yes most drinks, including alcohol are free at Priority Pass. Some premium drinks such as champagne may incur an extra charge. Some lounges limit the number of alcoholic drinks served to each person and most follow the Fit to Fly guidelines.

If you are wondering whether drinks are free at Priority Pass, the simple answer is that most drinks are free.

However, there are some things to know when drinking in airport lounges.

Read on for all the information you need to ensure you can enjoy a drink and enjoy your flight too.

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Are Drinks Free at Priority Pass?

In most airport lounges most drinks are free and unlimited.

For example, hot drinks, soft drinks, juices, wines, beers and spirits are always free to guests using the lounge.

Some lounges charge for premium drinks.

For many lounges, this is champagne or prosecco. In some lounges, this can be for premium cocktails.

Are Drinks Free at Priority Pass?

Free Drinks Doesn’t Mean Unlimited Drinks

While the thought of unlimited free drinks might sound appealing and a great way to start your holiday, you must be mindful of your consumption.

If you arrive at your boarding gate smelling of alcohol, or appearing drunk, the gate staff can prevent you from boarding your flight.

If you were denied boarding because of being drunk you would not be entitled to a refund or alternative travel plans because the fault is yours.

Just imagine that. Suddenly the lovely holiday you were looking forward to has disappeared and you have to wait until you sober up before you can take another flight, which you will have to pay for.

Many people do not know that it is an offence to board an aircraft when drunk.

Perhaps the fact that many airlines serve free alcohol is the cause of confusion. There have been some calls to ban the serving of alcohol on flights, due to the risk of disruption.

These rules mean you need to take care when consuming alcohol before a flight.

Just because drinks are free doesn’t mean you should consume large amounts before boarding your flight.

Be mindful of your alcohol tolerance and how much you have had to eat before drinking, all of which can affect the rate at which alcohol is absorbed into your bloodstream.

Tiredness, illness and medication can all impact the way alcohol affects you.

You should also be aware that most travel insurance policies will have a clause relating to alcohol in their terms and conditions.

Generally, the policy won’t cover anything caused by excessive alcohol, or where your judgement has been seriously impaired by drinking too much alcohol.

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Are Drinks Free at Priority Pass?

Fit to Fly Scheme

Venues serving alcohol in airports have a responsibility to ensure responsible consumption so they should monitor consumption by guests.

This also applies at airport lounges.

Here is the policy for an airport lounge operator under the Fit to Fly scheme;

  1. Enjoy a drink whilst you wait for your flight.
  2. On your second drink, we ask all guests to be mindful of their alcohol consumption.
  3. On your third drink, staff may remind guests of the law surrounding boarding on aircraft whilst appearing to be drunk.

Lounge Restrictions on Amount of Alcohol

Some airport lounges limit the number of alcoholic drinks that guests can have.

These rules vary from lounge to lounge.

Norwich limits the number of alcoholic drinks to 2 per person.

Some lounges limit drinks to 4 alcoholic drinks over 3 hours.

Are Drinks Free at Priority Pass?

Whatever the Limit It Is Your Responsibility

Whatever the alcohol limits are for the lounge you are in it is your responsibility not to arrive at the gate in a drunken state.

Are Drinks Free at Priority Pass?

Rules and Fines

Boarding a plane drunk or continuing to drink on board a plane, having already consumed alcohol means a risk of disrupting your flight.

The Civil Aviation Authority can fine travellers up to £5,000 for acts of drunkenness on an aircraft and you can go to prison for up to 2 years.

If you were to endanger the safety of the aircraft the prison sentence rises to 5 years.

If the airplane has to divert due to disruption on a flight then the airline has the right to ask the guests that caused the diversion to pay them back the costs. The Civil Aviation Authority says the costs are somewhere between £10,000 and £80,000.

Are Drinks Free at Priority Pass – Conclusion

  • Priority Pass lounges do have free drinks.
  • It is up to you to consume them responsibly – failure to do so may mean you are denied boarding.
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If you found this article about whether drinks are free at Priority Pass you might also like;

Is Everything Free in an Airport Lounge? – here’s what you need to know

Does Priority Pass Give Free Meals? – found all the UK lounges that serve hot meals here

Priority Pass UK Lounges – find all the UK airport lounges you can use with membership

You can find lots more information in my Ultimate Priority Pass Membership Guide.

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