Trolleyed...BA stewardess was 10 times alcohol limit after vodka shots on flight
A BRITISH Airways air hostess has lost her job after getting very drunk on vodka as she worked a long-haul flight.
Patricia Casey, 51, was 10 times over the alcohol limit for flight crews having downed eight shots of the spirit while working aboard a BA Boeing 787 flight from Singapore, a court heard.
A passenger smelt alcohol on her breath and the divorced mother-of-two was arrested at Heathrow’s Terminal 5 when the plane touched down on February 21.
Initially she denied drinking on duty but then admitted she had been “silly” in having the sneaky drinks.
Tests two hours later found she had 201mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood – 10 times over the legal limit of 20mg allowed for cabin crew.
At Uxbridge magistrates court in west London, Casey, of Camberley, Surrey, admitted drinking while on duty, ending an unblemished 21-year career as a flight attendant.
She wept as the court heard she had been “self-medicating” with alcohol while divorcing her husband of 18 years. Prosecutor Jasper Kaur said: “At 3.27pm officers were patrolling Heathrow airport when they were requested to attend British Airways Crew Reporting Centre in Terminal 5.
“At this location a member of the cabin crew had been stopped following her flight. Whilst on board, a passenger had complained that alcohol could be smelt on that crew member.”
The cabin services manager spoke to Casey on the flight after being alerted to the complaint.
Shan Yaqub, defending, said: “She was reported by one of the passengers. However, there is no suggestion this affected her behaviour.
“She is suspended from work. Following this conviction she will be losing her job.
“She has been a flight attendant for over 21 years, she has an unblemished record, she has never had any issues in the past for her behaviour.
“She was going through a messy divorce at the time, she has been in a relationship for 18 years, she has had two children with her partner. “She decided to self-medicate and was drinking more than she should have and on this occasion drank at work. She tells me she is not drinking alcohol now.”
Casey was fined £300 and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £85 and a £30 victim surcharge.
She was convicted of one count of performing an aviation function while impaired by drink.