From the Points Guy

At last! You’ve finally earned that coveted elite status, and now you get free drinks on all your complimentary upgraded flights.

Or maybe it’s been one grueling business travel week, and you just can’t wait to plop down in your seat and order that gin and tonic. Or three.

Many travelers enjoy having drinks on a plane — especially a welcome glass of bubbly in business class or a glass of red wine to help them relax and nod off. LINK

#PlaneDrankin….. aka travel booze. I’ve posted about it before and the results can be squirrelly… honestly, you’re not that good looking, especially at 30,000′.

I spend several evenings each week dining with others, sometimes it’s with clients and other times it’s with the higher-ups. No matter the dining partner, at some point adult beverages will show up.

During the last few decades, I’ve seen a lot of damage caused by alcohol. From a good friend dying due to a DUI to another being fired because he didn’t know when enough was enough. If allowed; alcohol can be an ugly partner.

Drinking on a plane can be as romantic as it sounds…. an unfamiliar destination, unfamiliar people and the hopes of being more interesting than you actually are. For example, consider #PlaneBae, and his/her recent attempt/conquest when it comes sealing a romance at a high altitude.

With 1000+ flights I can tell you that pressurized cabins and high altitudes can easily throw you a curveball. Now throw in free drinks from a credit card plan or elite status and you have a recipe for a viral video.

When it comes to #PlaneDrankin there are a few rules.

• 1-hour flight 1 drink
• 2-hour flight 2 drinks
• 3-hour flight….. you get the pattern

If planned right, a red-eye from the west coast should lull you to sleep before you cross the mid-west.

Are you an enabler? Dr. “You can’t grow a plant on the ceiling” Phil, actually has a quiz that allows you to determine your enable-ability (I made that word up).  Be that as it may Southwest sends me four free drink coupons for every ten flights I take. The picture above shows that I’m a solid eight drinks ahead of the curve and that I take a bunch of early morning flights.

So here’s a quick LifeHack, but don’t tell anyone. Sign up for the Southwest Rewards program, it’s free. Eventually, they will send you “Kicking Tail” coupons. The method to their madness is, if you see a Southwest employee going above and beyond….aka “Kicking Tail” hand them one of these coupons and ……

Each Kick Tail serves as an entry into the Kick Tail database for monthly and yearly drawings, where Employees can win various prizes. It’s an internal program built around something we call “Living the Southwest Way.” That is to say, having a Warrior Spirit, a Servant’s Heart, and a Fun-LUVing Attitude. Thank you for giving out your Kick Tails to deserving Employees! LINK

A great reward for a job well done! However, I’ve gotten in the habit of dispersing one of these Kicking Tail coupons along with my Drink Coupon. After my original drink is delivered more times than not a wrong drink… that just so happens to match my order…. is delivered to my seat. BOGO  my Dad would be proud.

Here’s another LifeHack for those Southwest flyers. If you’re flying on a Boeing 700/800 series and it’s a short flight and you just so happen to fancy some #PlaneDrankin sit in rows  1 or 9, as those rows get their orders taken first and in turn served first. You can thank me when you land.

If you’ve been over-served on your flight, consider Uber or Lyft before you get behind the wheel of your rental and venture onto the roads and endanger “The World“.

There you have it, #PlaneDrankin in less than 660 words.

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