A British Airways flight attendant was arrested and fired for drinking multiple bottles of wine before a flight, where she was discovered to be eight times over the legal alcohol limit. Deborah Merritt, aged 59, was on duty during a flight from London Heathrow to Malaga, Spain, when passengers noticed her unsteady behavior in April. Following the incident, Merritt was restrained in her seat for the remainder of the journey.
Upon landing in Spain, Merritt was apprehended, and tests revealed her breath alcohol level was 70mcg, exceeding the permitted 9mcg limit for airline crew. Appearing at Uxbridge Magistrates Court, Merritt, who blamed stress from a personal matter, was fined £768 and ordered to pay £392 in costs after admitting to an alcohol-related offense.
Subsequently, British Airways terminated Merritt’s employment. Expressing regret over losing her job, she conceded to feeling devastated about not being able to continue in her role. Separately, another flight attendant from the same airline, Haden Pentecost, faced legal consequences after being discovered naked and in an altered state due to drugs during a flight from San Francisco, California, to London. Pentecost, who received a suspended prison sentence, expressed remorse for his actions in court.
