'I'M DEVASTATED' | British Airways flight attendant sacked after blowing eight times the alcohol limit on flight
A British Airways flight attendant who turned up for duty on a flight to Spain blowing eight times the legal alcohol limit has been sacked from her 37-year career — after telling a court she had been drinking the night before because of stress over a "family incident."
Deborah Merritt, 59, from Hampshire, England was arrested at the end of a Heathrow-to-Malaga flight last month after concerned colleagues realised she was significantly under the influence while working in the cabin.
A breath test administered after the flight reportedly revealed an alcohol level of 70 micrograms in 100ml of breath.
The legal limit for aviation crew in the United Kingdom is just nine micrograms — meaning Merritt was almost eight times over the threshold permitted for anyone responsible for passenger safety on a commercial flight.
Crew on board reportedly took her to the back of the aircraft and buckled her into a seat for the remainder of the journey, before police took her into custody upon landing.
Merritt, the wife of a pilot, has since admitted a drink-related charge at Uxbridge Magistrates Court after a second test recorded a still-significant reading of 52 micrograms.
The court fined her £768 (around AUD$1,560) and ordered her to pay £392 in costs.
The 37-year veteran of the British flag carrier was dismissed from her job following the arrest — bringing an abrupt and ignominious end to a career that had spanned nearly four decades with one of the world's most recognised airlines.
'She thought it would be out of her system'
Defending Merritt in court, lawyer Ghulam Ali told the magistrate his client had been struggling with personal pressures at the time of the offence and had been dealing with what he described as a family incident.
The court was told Merritt had consumed several bottles of wine the day before the flight — and had genuinely believed the alcohol would have left her system before she boarded the aircraft.
"She thought it would be out of her system," Mr Ali told the court.
"She doesn't eat so much."
The defence drew a mixed response from observers, with some noting that the explanation — that she had simply miscalculated how long alcohol would take to clear her body — laid bare a culture of normalisation around heavy drinking among aviation workers that experts have long warned about.
For Merritt, the consequences were swift and final.
"I'm devastated I won't be able to do this job again," she told the court.
WTV
A serious safety breach
Aviation regulators around the world treat in-flight intoxication of cabin crew as one of the most serious safety breaches a working flight attendant can commit.
Cabin crew are not just there to serve drinks. They are the airline's frontline emergency responders, trained to evacuate aircraft, perform first aid, manage in-flight medical incidents and respond to security threats.
An impaired crew member is a passenger safety risk in every scenario.
The UK's strict nine-microgram limit for aviation crew is significantly tougher than the equivalent road driving limit of 35 micrograms — reflecting the very different consequences should something go wrong at 35,000 feet.
The Civil Aviation Authority has prosecuted multiple cabin crew and pilots over alcohol-related offences in recent years, with even small breaches typically resulting in instant dismissal and lasting career consequences.
A wider industry conversation
Merritt's case adds to a growing list of high-profile incidents involving impaired aviation workers globally, with airlines, regulators and unions increasingly grappling with how to address mental health, fatigue and alcohol use among long-serving crew.
For decades, drinking culture among aircrew was treated as something of an unspoken industry norm — particularly on long-haul layovers in foreign cities.
But changing public attitudes, tighter regulatory enforcement, and increased reliance on breath-testing protocols have made tolerance for that culture all but disappear.
For Merritt, the personal cost is now devastating — a 37-year career ended in a moment of poor judgement, with no second chance forthcoming.
British Airways has not publicly commented on the case beyond confirming her dismissal.
WTV
