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Flight Attendant Who Was Drunk During Flight Charged With Intoxication

Flight Attendant Who Was Drunk During Flight Charged With Intoxication

One passenger said the flight attendant 'appeared to pass out' in her seat without fastening her seatbelt for nearly the whole flight​

Jess Hardiman

Jess Hardiman

A flight attendant who passengers believed was drunk is facing charges after a video surfaced showing her slumped in her seat on a plane.

Julianne March, 49, was supposedly intoxicated while on a United Express flight travelling from Chicago to South Bend, Indiana, on 1 August. She had been the only flight attendant on board for the journey.

When the plane landed, the flight attendant from Waukesha, Wisconsin, apparently started crying, under the belief that she was still in Chicago.

A passenger called Aaron Scherb told ABC News that he clocked March leaning against the galley and making 'slurred' security announcements.

Before takeoff, he had also noticed her bumping into seats and passengers as she walked up and down to check the overhead lockers.

She apparently made 'slurred' security announcements.
ABC

"The flight attendant didn't get up for the whole flight," Scherb said.

"When we landed, she appeared to need help opening the jet bridge."

He said March 'appeared to pass out' in her seat without fastening her seatbelt for nearly the whole flight - which was actually operated by Air Wisconsin, meaning it was an Air Wisconsin crew and flight attendant.

Scherb notified pilots of March's 'stranger' behaviour upon landing, but they said they had already told officials on the ground.

Many other passengers had realised something was up, with one person called Dan also telling ABC: "The whole plane - a very small plane - noticed something was wrong when a passenger tried to contact her on the phone just before takeoff and she was in her jump seat, not strapped in, and the phone rang multiple times without her answering, which to me was the most concerning part because the pilot wasn't able to communicate with the lone flight attendant and took off anyway."

March told officers she was not on any medication, while alcohol could apparently be smelt on her breath.

She was given a breathalyser test, which found her alcohol level to be 0.204 - five times the 0.04 legal limit for flight attendants and others working in aviation.

March was reportedly fired on the spot.

An Air Wisconsin spokesperson said: "The Flight Attendant involved in this incident is no longer an employee of the company.

"We will continue to cooperate with local authorities and assist them as necessary."

The Federal Aviation Administration has said it would investigate the incident as a possible civil violation, while prosecutors in St. Joseph's County, Indiana, have charged March with criminal public intoxication.

Featured Image Credit: ABC

Topics: flight, News, US News