A Ryanair steward has admitted to drinking whilst working on board a flight after he was seen ‘necking’ wine and Jack Daniels.
26-year-old Sam Thompson was seen drinking a bottle of whiskey from the service trolley by a witness earlier this year, who then observed him taking out a small bottle of wine from his pocket and ‘necking the whole bottle’.
Thompson, from Cheshunt in Hertfordshire, admitted to performing an aviation function as cabin crew whilst impaired by alcohol at Chelmsford Magistrates Court yesterday.
He has been told that he could face jail time when he is sentenced at the same court on August 3.
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Police were alerted on 18 May when a witness reported seeing a member of Ryanair cabin staff drinking on the job whilst operating a flight from Rzeszow in Poland to Stansted, prosecutor Nishma Khan said.
Khan said that after the witness saw Thompson drink the Jack Daniels, they ‘proceeded to film the member of staff’.
"He was still on duty while the flight was in the air," she added.
Khan went on to describe how the witness saw Thompson ‘take a small bottle of wine out of his pocket and necking the whole bottle’.
He was then subjected to a breath test at Stansted Airport, where he gave a reading of 50mcg of alcohol per 100ml of breath.
Thompson then provided a lower reading of 39mcg per 100ml at a police station in Harlow.
It is illegal to work on an aircraft with more than 9mcg per 100ml of breath, Khan explained, which is lower than the 35mcg limit for driving a car.
In Thompson’s defence, Michael Carroll said that the steward has a tough relationship with alcohol, stating that they are ‘not the best of friends’.
The magistrate presiding over the case, Kristien Chafer, ordered that a pre-sentencing report be prepared on the defendant, which will consider all options for sentencing, including a custodial sentence.
Thompson has been bailed until the August 3 sentencing date.
The Sun reports that Ryanair said that the flight was being operated by sister airline Lauda Europe, saying: “Lauda Europe has investigated a reported individual cabin crew breach of this strict policy.
“The cabin crew member in question no longer operates for Lauda Europe.”
Ryanair’s code of ethics states that any member of staff who is ‘impaired by drugs or alcohol while performing company business’ will face disciplinary action.
Ryanair crew are not permitted to drink for eight hours before or during a flight.
LADbible has contacted Ryanair for a comment.
Topics: Travel, Ryanair, UK News, Food And Drink
Tom Wood