A “stressed” out British Airways flight attendant was canned for showing up to work under the influence after downing “a few bottles of wine” a day earlier.
Deborah Merritt, 59, registered a 0.147% BAC, equating to roughly eight times the maximum amount of alcohol crew members are allowed to consume, after she was arrested last month, The Sun reported.
The legal limit to drive a car in the US is .08%.
Merritt, of Basingstoke, Hampshire, was caught after she was unsteady on her feet on a flight from London Heathrow to Malaga, Spain.
She was taken to the back of the cabin and buckled in a seat on an Airbus A320 after the boozy episode.
When the plane landed, Merritt was arrested. Her solicitor — the British parallel to a defense attorney — Ghulam Ali, told the Sun that “She had a few bottles of wine the day before.”
“She thought it was out of her system,” he continued. “She didn’t eat much.”
Ali said Merritt was stressed from dealing with a family matter.
Merritt is reportedly a pilot’s wife, and had worked with British Airways for 37 years.
She told the British court that she is “devastated” she won’t be able to work in her profession. She pleaded guilty to alcohol-related charges.
She was fined about $1,590.
British Airways did not immediately respond the The Post’s request for comment.
