Drinking at 30,000 feet always sounds like a good idea in theory. And then you land, and realize that those plastic cups of booze have left you even more sluggish, puffy, and dehydrated than you already were. Still, many are willing to risk the potential downsides and hit the booze hard anyway — including one passenger who claims to have drunk eight bottles of Dom Pérignon by the glass on a multi-leg voyage from Los Angeles to Bangkok.
This legend comes to us from an April 2010 post on frequent-flier forum Flyertalk, in which a user called “Macabus” outlines his alleged marathon drinking experience, which lasted for over 32 hours in December 2009. In the post, Macabus lays out the timeline of the three-leg trip on Singapore Airlines, recounting how he was allegedly able to pull off his in-flight bender.
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Narita International Airport (NRT), Japan
Macabus says he “sipped gently” on a glass of Champagne in the airport lounge until he was ready to board his first flight. Once boarded, he was greeted by the flight attendant with a glass of 1999 vintage Dom Pérignon. Of the four passengers in the first-class cabin, Macabus was the only one drinking alcohol — meaning every bottle of Dom emptied on the flight can be attributed to him.
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While awaiting takeoff, Macabus was told by the flight crew that the plane would be delayed by about an hour. By the time the hour was up, he had finished a bottle’s worth of Dom Pérignon, but the plane soon hit another delay as extra fuel was required to battle strong headwinds on its route to Narita. The flight crew was prepared, however, offering the passenger some more Champagne to enjoy while he waited.
Despite the fact that it’s typical for flight crew to ask for unfinished drinks back from passengers during takeoff, Macabus claims that the flight crew “insisted” that he keep his glass of Dom Pérignon while the plane finally ascended. He then polished off a second bottle while enjoying a filet mignon “with all the trimmings” followed by a Japanese-style dinner. While eating, a third bottle of Dom Pérignon was popped — this time the 2000 vintage.
Midway through his third bottle of Champagne, the pilot made the announcement that the plane would be extremely late arriving at NRT due to powerful headwinds from a winter storm in the region. After the announcement, the frequent flier was approached by flight attendants who asked him if he liked Krug, to which he replied that it was “too sweet for him.” The attendants then allegedly returned with bottles of 1999 Dom Pérignon, 2000 Dom Pérignon, and non-vintage Krug, along with three fresh glasses, requesting that he try each and take notes on each for them as they never get to try the wines for themselves. He determined that the 2000 vintage was his favorite of the three, and a new bottle was popped for him roughly 11 hours into what would typically be a12-hour flight — and the plane was still over 1,500 miles from its destination.
While enjoying bottle No. 4, Macabus says he was treated to another full dinner of lamb chops served with a glass of Bordeaux. He finished up the last of the bottle as the plane descended, and once he landed, he dashed to the airport lounge to shower before boarding his flight to Singapore.
NRT to Singapore Changi Airport (SIN), Singapore
Narrowly missing his second flight due to the delay, Macabus made it to his first-class seat and was greeted with a glass of 2000 Vintage Dom Pérignon. The frequent flier says he was once again the only passenger drinking in the first-class cabin.
While enjoying his fifth bottle of the journey, the traveler consumed two more dinners. The flight from NRT to SIN typically only takes about six and a half hours, but more strong winds lengthened this flight to eight — prompting the traveler to polish off his sixth bottle of bubbly.
Macabus deboarded the plane at around 4 a.m., at which point he passed out in a sleeper room in the airport lounge until 7 a.m. to board his final flight of the journey.
SIN to Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK), Thailand
By 8:15 a.m., Macubus was on his way to Bangkok with yet another glass of Dom Pérignon in hand, calling it the “breakfast of champions.” He recalls enjoying chicken curry for breakfast, claiming that the meal was so spicy that he soon downed another bottle, marking his seventh of the expedition. Over the course of the two-hour flight, Macabus devoured his eighth and final bottle of the prestige cuvée before the plane’s wheels touched down in Bangkok.
He estimates that over the course of the 32-hour journey — of which he was awake for 26 — he consumed roughly 42 glasses of Champagne at a rate of about a glass and a half per hour. He claims that he was never drunk and just had a “nice steady Champagne glow,” and was spared from any extreme intoxication thanks to the multiple in-flight meals he consumed.
“If there’s a better buzz on this planet, I haven’t found it yet,” Macabus wrote of his experience. But for those who wish to attempt the same feat, he warned: “If there’s a worse hangover on this planet, I haven’t found it yet either.”