A 26-year old Ryanair crew member is to be prosecuted after being sacked for allegedly downing alcohol on a flight.
Mr Thompson, 26, polished off a miniature bottle of wine and a miniature Jack Daniels on the flight from Rzeszow, Poland, to London Stansted on Wednesday.
A passenger with who Thompson had allegedly agreed to share a drink filmed the whole incident. The passenger later said that he was shocked when, after asking the crew member for a drink, he said: “Shush, don’t tell anyone, but I will have one too.”
“Then he started necking a shot of whiskey. He also had a 187ml bottle of rosé. He sounded drunk and looked like he had been drinking for longer than just on the flight. I asked to speak to the Captain, and he was furious.”
The footage then showed Mr Thompson attempting to hide the drinking from his colleagues.
Authorities Alerted
The Captain of the flight, operated for Ryanair by subsidiary Lauda Europe, was alerted to the incident and called the authorities. Thompson was then arrested and charged.
A spokesperson for Essex Police said: “Sam Thompson, 26, of Cheshunt, will appear at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, June 8, to answer a charge of performing an aviation function, namely a member of Cabin Crew of an aircraft during flight, when their ability to do so was impaired because of drink.”
He is now due to appear at Chelmsford Magistrates Court on June 8.
A spokesperson for the airline said: “Lauda Europe policy, in line with European Aviation Safety Agency regulation, prohibits the consumption of alcohol by cabin or flight crew from 8 hours prior to a flight duty until after the duty is complete. Lauda Europe has investigated a reported individual cabin crew breach of this strict policy on a flight from Rzeszow to Stansted (May 18). The cabin crew member in question no longer operates for Lauda Europe.”
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