Two Delta Air Lines flight attendants were removed from an international flight after failing a breathalyzer test in Amsterdam on Friday.
Randomly tested by Dutch authorities before a flight to New York's JFK International Airport, a female flight attendant reportedly showed a blood alcohol level seven times higher than the legal limit for crew members and a male flight attendant Failed by 0.02, an official familiar with the situation confirmed.
The female Delta employee was fined €1,900, or about $2,000, and her male colleague was fined €275, or about $290. Another flight attendant from a different airline was also fined €1,800 (about $1,900) for being 6.5 times over the limit during a three-hour period in which police checked 445 pilots and flight attendants at Schiphol Airport . To Aviation A2Z.
A spokesperson for the Atlanta-based carrier told CBS News the incident did not impact the flight.
“Delta's alcohol policy is one of the strictest in the industry and we have zero tolerance for violations. Employees were relieved of their scheduled duties and the flight departed as scheduled,” the spokesperson said.
As Aviation A2Z reports, European aviation regulations restrict alcohol consumption for aircraft crew, and the Netherlands specifically prohibits pilots and crew members from drinking alcohol within 10 hours of a flight. But the European Air Safety Agency warns that following the “bottle to choke” time rule does not guarantee compliance with the legal blood alcohol concentration limit.
In the US, the Federal Aviation Administration recommended There is an eight-hour window between drinking alcohol and take-off and if required testing records a blood alcohol content of 0.02 or higher, employees will be removed from their duties.