A British Airways flight attendant who was eight times the legal alcohol limit while on a flight to Spain last month has claimed she was stressed. Deborah Merritt, 59, from Basingstoke, Hampshire, consumed bottles of wine on a BA flight from Heathrow to Malaga following a family incident.
A breath test revealed she had an alcohol level of 70 micrograms per 100 millilitres of breath, far exceeding the crew limit of 9 micrograms. She was taken to the back of the aircraft and restrained in a seat before being arrested upon landing.
Merritt, who had worked for British Airways for 37 years, was sacked after her arrest. She admitted a drink-related charge after a second test showed a reading of 52 micrograms.
Uxbridge Magistrates' Court fined her £768 and ordered her to pay £392 in costs. Her defence lawyer, Ghulam Ali, said Merritt was stressed due to a family incident and had consumed wine the day before, believing it would be out of her system. Merritt told the court: 'I'm devastated I won't be able to do this job again.'
The Daily Mail has approached British Airways for comment.
