A mimosa before your flight? SC bill could allow earlier alcohol sale at airports
Travelers who like to enjoy a mimosa or a Bloody Mary while waiting for their flight may get a chance to order drinks earlier in South Carolina airports.
The state Senate is considering a bill that would expand the hours that retailers inside of airport passenger terminals can sell alcoholic beverages.
Under state law, businesses selling alcoholic drinks can sell from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. the following morning Monday through Friday. On Saturday, they can sell alcohol from 10 a.m. until midnight, unless they are located in a county that has voted to allow Sunday sales and they have a special Sunday alcohol license. If a restaurant has a Sunday license, it can sell alcohol from midnight until 2 a.m. and then again from 10 a.m. until 2 a.m. Monday.
This bill would allow airports to set their own rules for what hours establishments would be allowed to sell alcohol and exempt them from having to get that Sunday liquor license.
“The primary reason is to expand hours so they could sell drinks behind (airport security) while somebody could be waiting for a flight,” S.C. Sen. Ross Turner, R-Greenville, said.
For example, Turner said, a person headed on vacation currently could not get an alcoholic drink before 10 a.m. Under the new bill, they would be able to drink earlier if the airport allowed it.
Turner said lawmakers have heard from airport representatives from around the state who are supportive of the legislation.
But other lawmakers expressed concerns that the expanded sale hours could lead to more intoxicated airplane passengers.
State Sen. Marlon Kimpson, D-Charleston, said he was concerned that intoxicated travelers could disrupt flight times and operations.
“My main concern would be the unruliness of airport passengers,” Kimpson said. “I have witnessed a number of times people who have had too much to drink.”
The bill narrowly passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, with an 11-10 vote.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct information on when businesses are permitted to sell alcoholic drinks.
This story was originally published January 29, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
