What happens to your body when you drink a 6am airport pint as Ryanair calls for ban

There are few things better in the world than arriving at the airport and getting the holiday started with a cold refreshing pint.

It's testament to Brits' love of drinking that no matter what the time or where they're heading, it's almost a guarantee that they will find somewhere to sit with a beer before boarding their flight.

As long as you can get through security and these new annoying entry exit systems quick enough, there's nothing to really stop you having one in the airport, whether it's 4am or 9pm.

However, that long-held British tradition may well be in danger, after Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary proposed a ban due to the poor behaviour of a select few.

What has RyanAir said about a potential ban?

Speaking to The Times, the Ryanair CEO said: "I fail to understand why anybody in airport bars is serving people at five or six o'clock in the morning. Who needs to be drinking beer at that time?"

Airport bars don't follow the same licensing rules as others in the UK, where they can only start selling alcohol from a certain time, and O'Leary feels these restrictions need to be implemented.

He added: "There should be no alcohol served at airports outside [those] licensing hours.”

O'Leary isn't a big fan of airport pints (Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images)

Brits certainly don't have the best reputation when it comes to drinking abroad, so you can see where he's coming from, but only the young and foolish would have too many drinks before the flight unless they want to suffer through a headache and several trips to the bathroom while on board.

It is illegal to be drunk on a plane, and O'Leary proposed a two-drink limit, both in airport bars and on the flights, where alcohol can also be served.

He said: “We are reasonably responsible, but the ones who are not responsible, the ones who are profiteering off it, are the airports who have these bars open at five or six o’clock in the morning and during delays are quite happy to send these people as much alcohol as they want because they know they’re going to export the problem to the airlines."

What are the health risks with the early morning airport pint?

It's not just the potential disruption to other passengers and airlines that customers should consider when having an early morning tipple however, as there can also be some health risks.

Drinking alcohol at any time is rarely going to be good for us, but it's perhaps even more worrying when it's the first thing your body has in the morning, when you've not even had time for your Weetabix.

Stephanie Billingham is a Marketing Manager and Personal Trainer at MuscleSquad, told LADbible: "The airport pint is a fun tradition but there are some important things to consider when you're consuming alcohol that early in the day.

"The first is that alcohol is a sedative and leads to you feeling lethargic in both your body and mind. While this is true at any time of day, if you have a drink in the evening it's much more aligned with your circadian rhythm and won't disrupt your sleep as much as starting at the crack of dawn.

"Because of that, having one or two in the airport is only going to make you lethargic for the rest of the day."

The last thing you want is to be hungover on a flight (Getty stock)

Stephanie also explained that boozing pre-flight in the early hours will 'lead to poorer quality sleep in the evening which isn't conducive to fighting jet lag'.

She said: "Ultimately, from my point of view, isn't worth the appeal even though it is fun to shake things up before the start of your holiday with a quick pint. Another curveball that people can miss when drinking at odd times of the day is that you've probably not eaten anything yet.

“You might know what your tolerance is on a full stomach of food, sure, but the alcohol will go to your head a lot faster when you've not eaten. At its most mild this can mean you'll have a dull headache after you land at your destination, but if you get tipsy abnormally fast then it could even lead to you being refused from boarding your flight. So it's all about being responsible. It's fun to have that first holiday drink in the airport, but you should be aware of what it means for your sleep and energy levels if you do."

Naturally, some Brits are going to drink themselves silly on the holiday anyway, so might argue that a pint before the flight is unlikely to make too much difference, but it's certainly one to be wary of.

How has Wetherspoons responded to the calls for a ban?

One man who unsurprisingly wants to uphold the British tradition of airport pints is Wetherspoons boss Tim Martin, who has clashed with O'Leary over his recent comments.

He made reference to George Orwell's 'Big Brother' in his complaints while adding that it had 'never been suggested' this his customers had caused any problems when in the sky.

"It is in everyone’s interests to have good behaviour at airports and on flights", he said.

Martin added: "A two-drink limit would be extraordinarily difficult to implement, short of breathalysing passengers, and would, in our opinion, be an overreaction - especially since many of the problems stem from incoming flights."