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Flight delayed due drunk cabin crew member

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Old 4th Aug 2008, 09:25
  #21 (permalink)  
 
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Good grief. If this had been a report about an allegedly drunken passenger, there'd have been none of this "innocent till proven guilty" and "could just have been a medical condition" malarky. Just the usual mob hollering to lock 'em up and throw away the key.
thats not a fair comparison -for drunk passenger reports, althought the 'drunkenness' is not proven, the behaviour that caused the incident most certainly isn't. If a pax goes on the rampage, hitting crew members, trying to open doors etc, to be honest who cares if they really are drunk or not. They have still caused a major incident and broken the law.
I'm not defending this crew member if they were drunk, however there have been enough cases recently of malicious accusations (mainly from security) that the outcome of this should be awaited before throwing too many stones. The alcohol limits we work to are very low and the police aparently generally have to arrest people upon an accusation and cart them off for a blood test as teh breathaliser doesn't work to such low limits. in most recent cases the person concerned has been found to be innocent once all the evidence has come back.

and PS the 'english' bit in the story IS well out of order IMO. Unfortunately typical racist crap we've come to expect recently from north of the border. Funny how english / british / irish nationalism is a synonym for racism or terrorism, but scottish nationalism is somehow ok,even though they preach an incredibly racist message.
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Old 4th Aug 2008, 09:31
  #22 (permalink)  

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Andy Murray is British. Fact.
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Old 4th Aug 2008, 10:09
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Quote:
Good grief. If this had been a report about an allegedly drunken passenger, there'd have been none of this "innocent till proven guilty" and "could just have been a medical condition" malarky. Just the usual mob hollering to lock 'em up and throw away the key.

Funny that - in all my years of flying have seen hundreds (if not thousands) of drunk slf on board a/c, hundreds of verbal assaults, and dozens of physical incidents (including many sexual harrassements), 99.9999% of which never get reported as this sort of behaviour seems to have been accepted as normal.

When was the last time you operated a slot 3 IBZ Gobonastick? Exactly.

However I have never heard of crew assualting slf in any way shape of form. I am just taking a resposnsible stance where I believe in innocent til proven guilty and take whatever is reported in the press with 10 kilo's of salt.

411A
Shape up...or ship out.
While airlines keep on employing kids (first job, first time away from home/hotel, easy access to booze etc etc), (cuz they are soooo cheap to employ, and will not argue with sometimes atrocious management) these things will happen - whilst the industry pays peanuts often the responsibility should be sought there.
Are you flight crew 411A? Cuz if you are then please don't tell me you have never sat in a hotel room minus 4 hours to report haveing a bevvy or two. Fact that the you (or I for that matter) have never been 'caught' doesnt give us the God given right to start passing willy nilly judgement on others.

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Old 4th Aug 2008, 10:20
  #24 (permalink)  
 
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Having first flown as crew in 1990 I joined then then Britannia Airways at the very tail end of landing drinks. It was being stamped on then and only a few die-hards indulged. At least in the UK. Since returning to flying as crew it is only ever heard of as a throw back to the golden days and in my experienced certainly not practiced.

Landing drinks are not common practice. Full stop.

And the girl has not been charged according to the article so remains an innocent person under suspicion of an offence. Could the problem have been identifed earlier? It may well have been, but the benefit of doubt may have been applied due to operational pressure, until it was clear that the right thing to do was to stop the flight and investigate.
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Old 4th Aug 2008, 10:39
  #25 (permalink)  
 
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What kind of professional forum is this ? What has the nationality to do with being professional and not flying drunk ? I find ridiculous to start those discussion about the crew maybe not being English or Scottish... is it what does really matter ?!? Wherever she/he may come from, the problem comes from the alcohol issue.
Of course if the moderator has no other choice than to ban me when I mention that alcohol is a real issue in UK AND in many other countries, then he can proceed (which would demonstrate solid elaboration).
My personal feeling is that attitude toward alcohol has been drifting for years. When I was living in French Britany it was very common to see hundreds of drunk students in the streets every fridays, some of them throwing up and peeing in their pants while others were just destroying whatever was around them. It's absolutely irresponsible to neglect the dangers of alcohol and just to relate it to funny parties. People are dying and some other are killed everyday because of alcohol. While it's not a problem to have fun with it, it is a social issue and an education matter.
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Old 4th Aug 2008, 11:32
  #26 (permalink)  
 
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"Grampian Police officers breathalysed the woman, believed to be English, before she was arrested"

What the police believed about the nationality of the drunk crew member I care less! We are wise enough not label a nation based on this article so don't be so touchy about that!

Professionally speaking the situation is severe no matter the sex of the crew member but for me the situation is even more disgusting as the person involved is a woman!!! Its a shame!
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Old 4th Aug 2008, 11:43
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Did she fail the "walk the wing" test then?

Sounds like a revision of the trad. song is in order:-

"What shall we do with a drunken hostie? ...
... Put her in the galley with a sick-bag near her ..." etc
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Old 4th Aug 2008, 12:18
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Holiday jet stuck for hours by arrest of cabin crew girl - Press & Journal

Here is the story from our wonderful (not) local rag.
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Old 4th Aug 2008, 12:23
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of course if the moderator has no other choice than to ban me... Blah, Blah, Blah
sispanys ria - Please try and post like an adult, no matter how hard you may find it to do so. Moderators are not here to police your private agenda, so long as it doesn't offend others, so please don't use our time and efforts to bolster some sort of hypothetical martyrdom for yourself.

I think the whole 'English' thing has been covered to death now, so please could we move on and discuss the real issues surrounding the incident, rather than the perceived ones.
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Old 4th Aug 2008, 14:46
  #30 (permalink)  
 
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I must agree with PC767, Landing Drinks are not commonplace anymore. I have been flying for 6 years with 3 different airlines (therefore hundreds of sectors and colleagues) and I have never, ever, heard of, or experienced anyone having Landing Drinks in that time. It's a thing of the past.

It is not commonplace by any means, so please don't lead others, who may not have first hand knowledge of the industry, to think it is.
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Old 4th Aug 2008, 14:51
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I second that last post - last time is saw that going on was 1996-1997'ish.
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Old 4th Aug 2008, 19:23
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Yes, in my experience landing drinks have, regrettably, gone.
Just to make the point clear: 'landing' drinks were usually brought to the flight deck after arriving on the stand.
Allegedly, and perhaps a US Pruner can confirm, FAA inspectors noted a crew having a drink on the flight deck and decided to make an issue of it

In this case, landing drinks don't appear to be relevant.
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Old 4th Aug 2008, 19:46
  #33 (permalink)  
 
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Nationality has no relevance.

Landing drinks / choctails....went out with the Atlantic Barons.

Virgin pilot removed from flightdeck for being drunk..........turns out he was on a diet!!!

Let's minimise the speculation and wait for a more accurate police report.

Innocent until proven guilty.
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Old 5th Aug 2008, 06:42
  #34 (permalink)  
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More info after a court appearance yesterday, again from the BBC

An air stewardess has appeared in court charged with drinking alcohol before working on a plane.

******** ********, 24, is alleged to have been working on a BMI Airbus A320 while over the drink-drive limit when she was arrested.

The aircraft was due to leave Aberdeen at 0900 BST on Sunday and was bound for Faro in Portugal's Algarve region.

Ms *******, from Liss, Hampshire, made no plea and the case was continued at Aberdeen Sheriff Court.

The 24-year-old was charged with performing an aviation function with 57 microgrammes of alcohol per 100ml in her system, contrary to the Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003 Section 93 (1).

The drink-drive limit is 35 microgrammes per 100ml of breath.

The flight eventually took off just after 1530 BST on Sunday.

Her solicitor Mike Munro told the court he needed more time to look into the act under which she was charged because he had never dealt with such a case before.

The case was continued until later in August.
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Old 5th Aug 2008, 09:04
  #35 (permalink)  
 
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Poor kid, must have been hamered if she was still showing that blood/alcohol level at report at 09:00, she must have had some sleep.

It wont stop here, who was she drinking with (she wasn't local crew) i expect the entire industry will get a memo from their flight ops over the next few days.

After landing drinks, the good old days lol! only seen it once about 15 years ago, ironically that was in ABZ , seemed a waste to poor good champange down the loo

I hope bmi look after her and not just throw here to the lions, she will probably get fined more than Globespan did for ignoring the MEL and of course she's English so throw away the keys

Fly drink limit much lower !!

Drink-Driving Law in the UK

The Legal Limit The UK legal limit for drivers is 80 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood, often referred to as a BAC or blood-alcohol concentration. In US terms this would be expressed as 0.08%. This is alternatively expressed in terms of breath alcohol - 35 µg (microgrammes) per 100 ml (which is now the usual official measure in the UK), or alcohol in the urine - 107 mg per 100 ml.

Last edited by Facelookbovvered; 5th Aug 2008 at 13:34.
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Old 5th Aug 2008, 10:59
  #36 (permalink)  
 
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Been covered elsewhere but chapter and verse here
Sobering (literally) point for non professional aviation Pruners is that our limit is a quarter of the drink drive limit.
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Old 5th Aug 2008, 13:29
  #37 (permalink)  
 
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Landing drinks, what a silly idea. You might spill it. Best to get it down yer neck in the cruise.
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Old 5th Aug 2008, 15:05
  #38 (permalink)  
 
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As the partner of a senior CC member and someone who travels a lot with them I can honestly say I have never experienced 'landing drinks'.
Years ago maybe (my father was a 707 captain) the practice was common.
My partner allows at least 24hrs between any drink and working. Thus, a backtoback N. Atlantic trip involves no alcohol at all.
My own experience of being downroute many times is that the vast majority of people abide by this.
One thing that would put the publics mind at rest over this is random drink and drug test; something already in place in other industries and not at all uncommon with airlines.
Everyone would then know quite clearly where they stand, no ifs buts or maybe's..
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Old 5th Aug 2008, 15:20
  #39 (permalink)  
 
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I hope bmi look after her and not just throw here to the lions, she will probably get fined more than Globespan did for ignoring the MEL and of course she's English so throw away the keys
Even if she is found guilty?

I think its fair to say that in any industry if you are guilty of being p*ssed at work then your employer has no obligation to look after you.

The drinks were not forced down her neck, if it turns out she is guilty, then unlucky, tough t*tties, and she should be sacked..... she ran the risk, and got caught, end of.
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Old 5th Aug 2008, 15:38
  #40 (permalink)  
 
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The drinks were not forced down her neck, if it turns out she is guilty, then unlucky, tough t*tties, and she should be sacked..... she ran the risk, and got caught, end of.
Uhm - no!

Dealing with an employee with a possible alcohol problem
  • Employees with a drink problem have the same rights to confidentiality and support as they would if they had any other medical or psychological condition.
  • Disciplinary action should be a last resort. A court may find a dismissal unfair if an employer has made no attempt to help an employee whose work problems are related to drinking alcohol.
  • The cost of recruiting and training a replacement may be greater than the cost of allowing someone time off to obtain expert help.
  • Many people with an alcohol problem are able in time to regain full control over their drinking and return to their previous work performance.
  • It may be very difficult for people to admit to themselves or others that their drinking is out of control. They need to know that you will treat their drinking problem as a health problem rather than an immediate cause for dismissal or disciplinary action.
  • If employees’ drinking is a matter of concern, they should be encouraged to seek help from their GP or a specialist alcohol agency.
The above is from the HSE.

Beer_n_tabs make sure you know some employment law/good practice before you start throwing dirt.

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