Senate Bill Allows Airport Guests To Drink Alcohol Throughout The Terminal

(Source: MIRS.news, Published 07/14/2026) Folks could take their cocktail and beer orders to go outside of airport restaurants, carrying their drinks throughout the terminal and outside their gate, similar to social districts, under a bill that flew out of committee last month.

On June 16, the Senate Transportation and Infrastructure Committee unanimously voted out SB 728 by Sen. Roger Hauck (R-Union Twp.). The bill is being pushed for by the Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids, which broke its yearly passenger record last year with more than 4.3 million guests in 2025.

Under Hauck's bill, an airport's governing body could allow passengers purchasing alcoholic drinks at airport bars and restaurants to possess and consume them throughout the passenger terminal complex.

Hauck described the approach as similar to outdoor social districts that local communities can opt to place in their downtown areas.

"What this bill does is modernize the passenger experience in a very controlled environment. Airports that already have significant security oversight and regulation," Hauck said during a June 2 committee meeting (transcript can be found here).

He clarified that folks would not be able to carry their own alcohol to begin drinking in the terminal, nor does he want guests purchasing fifths of scotch from the duty-free stores and then begin to indulge.

"Let me get this right. You want to have the ability to give yourself a double bourbon on the rocks or straight up…and walk around the airport drinking and making fun of people, is that what you want to do?" said Sen. Joseph Bellino Jr. (R-Monroe), the committee's minority vice chair, humorously.

Hauck responded with, "I do that already without drinking," as the committee room erupted in laughter.

Testifying in support was Tory Richardson, president of the Gerald R. Ford Airport in Grand Rapids. He argued that an airport terminal is the most restrictive forum for alcohol sales and consumption.

For traditional bars and restaurants, customers could get into their vehicle and try driving home intoxicated. Meanwhile, he said social districts can be accessed from multiple areas where there's "no physical screening to prevent dangerous items." He also described sports arenas as hosting 100,000 "emotionally and energetically charged fans" whose love for their teams can create conflict, all while alcohol is served.

"This is a highly ultra-controlled environment at the airport. The safety and security measures go far beyond that of any other form of alcohol sales and consumption," Richardson said. "Nobody's going to the airport to drink and socialize at $15 to $20 a pop. This is not the intent or purpose of the trip. The drink at the airport is simply incidental to their travel."

Proponents suggest the price tag of airport drinks could prevent over-consumption if the bill were passed. Furthermore, Richardson described how actions like the passenger screening checkpoint, the need to enter with a valid airline ticket and passengers being checked against the No-Fly list create extra security measures.

“Think of the scenario where two business partners are traveling together,” Richardson said. "One of them wants a salad and a glass of wine from a restaurant. The other one just wants a beer and a burger. But they want to get back together and go to the gate area so that they can see the status of their flight."

He suggested that under SB 728 , the two business partners can grab a high-top outside their gate with their drinks, talk about client meetings and listen for flight updates over a laptop.

"We're simply trying to offer the passengers the flexibility and convenience of a modern-day travel experience, where they can balance their business and personal needs," Richardson said.

Opposed to the bill is Delta Air Lines, which last year added 10 routes coming in and out of the Detroit Metro Airport (DTW), Michigan's largest airport. From spring 2024 to April of last year, more than 22.8 million DTW guests were carried by Delta Air Lines or one of its regional subsidiaries.

Delta Air Lines has a huge influence over DTW, as 71.9% of DTW traffic is carried by the airline, according to Flyover Aviation Analytics.

Sarah Gonzales, Delta Air Lines' state and local government affairs director, said that alcohol consumption in gate areas and concourses can increase risks of disruptive behavior, passenger conflict and intoxication-related incidents.

"Gate agents would be expected to monitor passengers carrying alcoholic beverages near boarding areas and address issues involving intoxicated or disruptive behavior," Gonzales said. "Consider a gate agent who is faced with somebody trying to board a plane and telling them that their $8 beer, they need to either slam it or throw it away before getting onto a plane."

She said that airports are secured transportation facilities, not entertainment districts.

With a limited number of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) personnel, airline employees and airport operational staff, Gonzales explained that addressing a misbehaving passenger can create boarding delays and affect time performance.

She added that such legislation has not been implemented in any of Delta's hub states.

Sen. Ed McBroom (R-Waucedah Twp.) questioned why Delta Air Lines is opposed to people drinking in terminals, but conducts its own alcohol sales in the air.

"OK. So you're OK with people drinking on a piece of very expensive equipment that's thousands of feet up in the air?" McBroom said to Gonzales on June 2. "I'm really struggling to understand the dichotomy of this situation, because you're not opposing the drinking on the plane, where all these behavioral issues, I think, are in a far more dangerous circumstance than you are in a terminal on the ground."

Gonzales explained that beverages are monitored and controlled by trained flight attendants.

The Hauck legislation now awaits consideration by the entire Senate chamber when lawmakers return in the fall. If it isn't, proponents may need to try again when the legislative body changes following the 2026 elections.

As for other bills in Lansing right now dealing with booze and airports, Rep. Joseph Aragona (R-Clinton Township), chair of the House Regulatory Reform Committee, is sponsoring legislation – HB 5518 – to allow publicly owned airports in Michigan to permit alcohol to be served and sold 24 hours a day.