U. K.: FLIGHT ATTENDANT DRUNK

A Chicago flight attendant who prosecutors said had been up drinking until 2 a. m. the night before she was set to fly back to her hometown from England was arrested after airport security officers smelled alcohol on her breath, a court in England heard Tuesday.

Stacy Rosehill, 57, was performing preflight checks on an American Airlines airplane in Manchester, England, on Oct. 28 when she was taken off the plane, according to the Manchester Evening News.

Rosehill, who has worked for American for 29 years, has pleaded guilty to a charge of “performing an aviation function as a member of cabin crew when alcohol in breath was over the prescribed limit.”

Leslie Scott, an American Airlines spokeswoman, said Tuesday: “This is something we take seriously, and we will handle it appropriately, as the safety and care of our customers and employees is our highest priority. We are cooperating with local law enforcement.”

Rosehill submitted to a breath test at the airport and had a reading about eight times what’s allowed under the United Kingdom’s Aviation Act, according to the newspaper, which said she told security shewas drinking because she’d been unable to sleep.

“She had drunk more than usual the night before, and her last drink was at 2 a. m.,” the judge in the case, Nicola Yeadon, was quoted as saying. “She felt fine for work, and if she had known she was over the limit, she wouldn’t have gone to work. She apologized, saying she was extremely sorry and embarrassed at being arrested.”

Rosehill could not be reached for comment.