Boozers grounded

Flying high and fancy a tipple? Be careful that a complementary on-board bevvie doesn't bump up the cost of your flight.
In the week that two disorderly passengers flying from St. Petersburg to Antalya were ordered to pay the 290,000 rouble costs of an unscheduled landing at Pulkovo Airport, new legislation set fines for drunken passengers soaring 10-fold.
The penalty for having strong drink on board - with strong being defined as anything about 12 per cent alcohol - goes from 500 roubles to 5,000, while the token 100 rouble fine for disobeying the cabin crew also climbs to a 5,000 rouble penalty.
According to Valentin Zavadnikov, chairman of the Industrial Commission of the Federation Council, air-rage incidents have increased - with drink often playing a major role.
In 2007, more than 700 passengers were detained after disturbances on board airlines or in airports, while 254 got into trouble in the first quarter of 2008.
Meanwhile, at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport alone 127 passengers were deemed too drunk to board by airline staff in the first quarter of this year - more than one a day.
That figure was up from 118 in the same period last year, according to Victor Karmanov, the airport's deputy chief of internal affairs, RIA Novosti reported.
The airport, Russia's second busiest, handled 15.2 million passengers last year, with Domodedovo taking 20.4 million.
The increase follows a change in police policy in February, 2009, which tightened pre-boarding checks to stop passengers "dominated by emotions" from flying.
Police Lieutenant-General Vyacheslav Zakharenkov told RIA Novosti that there were more than 50 drink-fuelled "debauches" on Russian planes in 2008, mostly on charter flights.
"Fortunately these incidents have not led to tragedies, and all of the hooligans were arrested and punished," he added.
Fines have also been stiffened for breaches in regulations affecting passenger or freight capacity. Individuals now face a 2,500-rouble penalty, officials will be fined double that while companies are liable for up to 50,000 roubles.