Amsterdam Airport - Police prevent drunken flight attendant from taking off
Passengers can order a drink for themselves in the sky among the clouds. However, those who want to pilot a commercial airliner must be sober. Flight attendants and cabin crew in the cabin should also abstain from alcohol before takeoff: The Dutch police at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol hindered a drunk steward from boarding a flight on Friday.
Amsterdam Airport: Fine for Intoxicated Flight Attendant
During an alcohol control of aircraft personnel, a flight attendant from a foreign airline was stopped in the morning at 07:50 with a blood alcohol level, which he himself would not have been allowed to drive a car with, the police reported. For aircraft personnel, the alcohol limits are stricter: A zero-alcohol limit applies to them, and alcohol is prohibited ten hours before takeoff. The police air surveillance reportedly conducts such controls regularly with pilots and cabin personnel, even on smaller airports.
The hangover must have been severe for the flight attendant: He had to pay a fine of 1000 Euros. To make matters worse, his flight took off without him.
- Despite the alcohol control procedures at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, which can include checks on flight crew ten hours before takeoff, the incident with the intoxicated flight attendant still occurred.
- Had the flight crew member from the foreign airline adhered to the alcohol control regulations, he would have been prevented from boarding the flight at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, just like someone in the Netherlands would be prohibited from driving with such a high blood alcohol level.
- Following the incident, the police at Schiphol Airport, known for their strict alcohol control measures, underscored the importance of flight crew sobriety, stressing that even at Schiphol Airport's smaller airports, alcohol limits for flight crew are tightly regulated and regularly enforced.
