It sounds like harmless fun: a group of friends on a stag-do flight asks the cabin crew if the groom can hand out drinks for a laugh. According to flight attendants, it is one of the requests they hate most — and it is worth understanding why before your next group trip.

The core problem is training. Cabin crew are not just trolley-pushers; they are safety professionals whose food and drink service follows strict protocols. A study cited on ScienceDirect found that around 90% of airlines train crews in hygienic food handling, covering safe preparation, contamination risks from meat and fish, and awareness of passenger allergies. An untrained passenger cheerfully distributing snacks bypasses all of that, and nobody on board signed up to be served by the best man.

There is a physical safety angle too. If an amateur is carrying hot coffee or a tray of drinks when turbulence hits, the result can be scalds, spills and injuries to other passengers. Service windows on a flight are tight, and crews are working against the clock to get carts down the aisle and back before the next phase of the flight. Pausing for photo ops and party games slows everything down and eats into the short breaks staff get between tasks.

Bachelor groups tend to stack up other requests that grate on crew. Asking for a meal after service has ended is a classic: the galleys are packed away, the crew has hundreds of other passengers to look after, and there is no spare plate sitting in an oven. Groups who are already a few drinks in can tip from celebratory to demanding, expecting the cabin to flex around their itinerary. Multiply that by a dozen friends in matching T-shirts, and a long-haul flight becomes a slog for everyone.

If the plan really is to start the party at 30,000 feet, the cleaner option is a private charter. Companies such as Boulevard Jet Charter fly bachelor groups to destinations across the US, and on a chartered aircraft you can arrange surprises, catering and pre-flight requests in advance — without a plane full of strangers footing the emotional bill.

For everyone else heading to a stag weekend on a commercial airline, the takeaway is simple: keep the groom's embarrassment on the ground, order your drinks like everyone else, and treat the crew as the professionals they are. They will look after you far better for it, and your trip gets off to a smoother start than a spilled tomato juice down someone's white shirt.