A Delta Air Lines flight attendant is facing criminal charges after police found her several times over the alcohol limit while on duty.
According to The Metro, Delta attendant Lemara Thompson was on a flight to London’s Heathrow Airport on June 16 when she was confronted by police for allegedly performing an aviation function with a blood alcohol level over the prescribed limit.
When police tested Thompson’s blood/alcohol level, it was discovered that she had 135 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood while on duty. According to the United Kingdom’s Civil Aviation Authority, the current limit is 20 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood.
Thompson was due in court Wednesday, but failed to appear for the hearing at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court in England, instead sending a letter. The Brooklyn native is expected to appear on December 4 or set up a video chat.
This is not Delta’s first time dealing with drunk employees. In July, one of the airline’s pilots was arrested on suspicion of intoxication and formally charged with one count of attempting to operate an aircraft under the influence of alcohol.
The pilot, identified as Gabriel Schroeder, admitted to having a beer and three vodka drinks the night before he was scheduled to fly from Minneapolis-St. Paul to San Diego. Court documents show he had a blood-alcohol level between 0.04 percent and 0.08 percent.
The Federal Aviation Administration prohibits pilots from flying within eight hours of drinking.
