Preparation for a Delta flight departing from New York City was seemingly interrupted after its flight attendants failed a breathalyzer test.
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According to One Mile At a Time, the random breathalyzer tests were given last Friday, Nov. 29, to 445 airline employees at Amsterdam’s Schipol Airport. Two Delta flight attendants prepping to travel on a flight to John F. Kennedy International Airport were among the three that were found over the Netherlands’ legal alcohol limit of 0.02.
One of the flight attendants blew seven times over the legal limit and nearly double the legal limit allowed for drivers in the U.S., at 0.143. They received the maximum penalty of $1,900.
The other attendant blew 0.24. They were fined $290.
However, a Delta spokesperson told CBS News that the breathalyzer situation had no impact on the flight. “Delta’s alcohol policy is among the strictest in the industry, and we have zero tolerance for violation,” the spokesperson stated. “The employees were removed from their scheduled duties, and the flight departed as scheduled.”
The Dutch police, who conducted the random breathalyzer test, said the third flight attendant involved was from another, unspecified foreign airline. They tested well over the legal limit for commercial flight crews and were fined $1,900.
The Federal Aviation Administration Recommends Flight Attendants Avoid Drinking Eight Hours Before Flying
For American flight attendants, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had recommended that alcohol should be avoided eight hours before a flight.
“Ideally, total avoidance of alcohol should be a key element observed by every pilot in planning or accomplishing a flight,” the FAA explained. “Alcohol avoidance is as critical as developing a flight plan, a good preflight inspection, obeying ATC procedures, and avoiding severe weather.”
The FAA also noted a more “conservative approach” is to wait 24 hours from the last alcohol consumption before flying. “This is especially true if intoxication occurred or if you plan to fly IFR,” the agency noted. “Cold showers, drinking black coffee, or breathing 100% oxygen cannot speed up the elimination of alcohol from the body.”
The agency further stated, “Use good judgment. Your life and the lives of your passengers are at risk if you drink and fly. Keep in mind that regulations alone are no guarantee that problems won’t occur.”
“It is far more important for pilots to understand the negative effects of alcohol,” the FAA then added. “And its deadly impact on flight safety.”
The flight crew is recommended to be removed from their duties if their blood alcohol concentration registers 0.02.