V-Flyer

Hi,

We are travelling in Upper soon with my son and his girlfriend who have both just become 18 years old. Are there any restrictions either in the clubhouse,on board or when we enter US airspace )?

Thanks in advance,

Steve

There won't be in London of course, nor should there be in the air as you're not on US soil but in the US lounge or clubhouse, there may be. But unless they look really young they might not get challenged.

Maybe someone else can confirm this.

While I have been asked for my date of birth when buying alcohol in Supermarkets in the states I have never been asked on the plane. But then I guess I don't look 18 anymore.
Interesting article here
http://maphappy.org/2014/12/is-there-a- ... on-planes/
which seems to suggest no problem on board Virgin.
Dick D

On the plane it won't be an issue. Nor will it be in the UK club house.

The problem will be in the US and the rather puritanical rules with the 21 year old drinking law as well as issues as the US generally does not permit under 21's to legally drink - not even in the company of adults or in the comfort of their own homes (or airport lounge)

I assume by your use of 'we' that you will be travelling with them as in some US states if it is a free-pour bar in the lounge then they would not even be allowed in without someone over 21.

Unless the OP's son & girlfriend are visiting Wisconsin - the most liberal state for alcohol rules - then expect to be asked for ID / refused service if under 21.

I am currently in Florida & am over 40 (and certainly don't look under 21) and I have been ID'd several times this holiday when buying alcohol.

Certainly when onboard a Virgin plane, UK rules apply so there will be no problem there. US rules will apply in any US Clubhouse though and given the harsh penalties dished out to bar staff who serve people underage (if caught), I'd expect to be ID'd if you look remotely young.

I was told by a person serving me in a bar, that she would be prosecuted & not the bar owner if someone was served who was under age.

Wallmart has a policy of ID'ing anyone who dont look over 40.
I got asked in WallMart a few years ago & it took an age for me to find my passport. The guy behind was grumbling at the sales person because it was clear I was over 21 (but not 40!).
In all the confusion, she forgot to ring a 1.5l bottle of Smirnoff Vodka through the register. I didnt realise it at the time, until I got home & checked my bank statement & tried to work out how I only spent £20 after buying 4.5l of spirits

There won't be issues in the UK CH or on the plane, but they will almost certainly be asked for ID in the US Clubhouses (I've seen this happen many times).

The US CH staff, however, won't be puritanical enough to bar your entire party from drinking (as frequently happens in bars if even only one person in a group of ten does not have their ID).

Wasn't there a post recently that included a DYKWIA paddy over his son being refused alcohol?

Anywhere there is a population of college kids in the US you will be asked for ID. We were ID'd regularly in Knoxville, TN when we visited #1 daughter there, beginning the same day I received a "senior citizens" discount when visiting the city museum. In one bar our beers were removed from us until the server had validated that our UK driving licences were sufficient proof.

Doesn't the law of the land apply to drinks in the air, so where VS is registered in the UK then 18 is the legal age for alcoholic drinks, whereas AA is registered in the US so 21 would be the legal age? So even when you enter US airspace you're still on a UK registered aircraft.

On the ground in the US is of course a different matter, even in an airside lounge.

My daughter is now 20 but looks younger. From when she was 18 onwards I had a quiet word with the crew as we boarded or made a point of saying to her would you like champagne etc. She was always just offered orange or water. Once her age was established no issues at all.

never tried in a USA lounge but I do recall reading that some lost their licenses for a while due to serving underage. Not Virgin but another Boston lounge?

As someone has already stated it really depends on what state you are in while in the US. Some states will state that you will be asked for ID if you look below X. X can be 30 or 40.
This is down to the fact that prosecutions can be made my local law enforcement to the owner of the establishment on indeed the bar tender who has served the alcohol. This even stretched to members of the public who are over the legal age to drink and then are over-served and get involved in a DUI or similar.
Bottom line is the drink laws in the US are way different in almost every way to the UK's. You will have to abide by the law of the land when on US soil.

No alcohol in the U.S. for teenagers...

But fine to own a gun:
http://www.al.com/news/tuscaloosa/index ... ma_bi.html

Backwards country....

This brings to mind two incidents which happened when Aer John was under-age.

One was when he was within 6 weeks of his 18th birthday on a VS flight from DXB in UC. On several previous flights to different destinations on the VS network in UC he had always been offered champagne with a tongue-in-cheek "don't you dare say 'yes' young man and in any case your mother is watching" attitude. He would pretend to go for the champagne and at the last minute would switch to water with a twinkle in his eye and a cheeky grin followed by the usual banter you would expect and enjoy from VS cabin crew. On this, his last flight before his 18th birthday, he was looking forward to the one last enactment of this ritual (and indeed he could easily have got away with taking the champagne) but to his disappointment and annoyance he was only offered orange juice or water.

The second one was much earlier and on my first trip to Orlando (and indeed the USA). We were staying in a Disney resort and at the end of the first day we went to the in-hotel store to get some soft drinks and snacks and of course, something for Mum! At the check-out desk, while struggling to get out my card I handed something to Aer John to hold in order to free one of my hands. It just happened to be the "something for Mum" whereupon the lady at the desk went ballistic saying he wasn't even allowed to handle alcohol according to state law. She took it from him and put it back on the shelf and I had to go back and retrieve it again!!

Was asked for ID in Orlando when purchasing a couple of cans low strength lager fom the hotel shop. I handed over my passport and smiled, it was coming up to my 50th birthday lol

I recall going to an airside bar in the airport at Rhode Island & ordering beers for myself & a colleague, when the barman asked for ID {we were both around 50 at the time}, I thought he was joking, he wasn't.

oldboy wrote:I recall going to an airside bar in the airport at Rhode Island & ordering beers for myself & a colleague, when the barman asked for ID {we were both around 50 at the time}, I thought he was joking, he wasn't.

I also remember being refused service in a bar in LAX when I ordered two beers, one for me and one for a friend I was with. To order two drinks two people were needed to present their ID.

I must say though, that as a 'baby-boomer', I do like being asked for ID.

It never happened when I was young and I was often sent to the offy for a couple of bottles of Guinness when I was knee high to a grasshopper!

oldboy wrote:I recall going to an airside bar in the airport at Rhode Island & ordering beers for myself & a colleague, when the barman asked for ID {we were both around 50 at the time}, I thought he was joking, he wasn't.

first time we went to the states as a group of lads in our mid twenties.
We ordered a round & the barman poured them all & then asked for ID.
As we had just got off the plane, we was none the wiser about their fetish for ID, so we couldnt have our beers. Had to get a taxi back to the hotel to pick up our passports.

I've not been asked much for ID on my current trip, then again I am 43.

Both times I've just handed over my Gibraltar Civilian Registration Card, which although is Government-issue also happens to be nothing more than a laminated piece of folded over paper. Luckily this tends to confuse them to the point of just handing it back and serving me.

Also if you're just under 21, remember they read dates differently so if you're 21 on the 1st August, your ID might work any time after 8th January

Thanks for all your replies, its really appreciated, My wife and I have been ID'd a few times over the past few years and we are well into our 40's . I know my son and his girlfriend won't be able to drink in the US, but I just wanted them to enjoy the UC experience fully on board and in the Gatwick clubhouse.

Thanks again,

Steve

honey lamb wrote:

It never happened when I was young and I was often sent to the offy for a couple of bottles of Guinness when I was knee high to a grasshopper!

That brings back memories. With me it was to get mum's cigarettes.

pjh wrote:That brings back memories. With me it was to get mum's cigarettes.

Same here, 8 or 9 years old with a five pound note to get 20 Regal. Seemed an exorbitant amount at the time.

I've never been ID's on Virgin. I've been flying the airline since I was 2 years old (1980s!), and enjoyed some of my first alcoholic drinks on transatlantic crossings (not when I was 2... )

As an aside - traveling Upper Class should be a big enough treat as it is, without the alcohol. I hope they appreciate the opportunity, and that it's not wasted on them.