Ryanair steward arrested and fired for drinking on flight.
A Ryanair flight attendant was arrested and fired by the airline after footage emerged of him drinking alcohol during a flight.
The alleged incident occurred on a flight from Rzeszow in Poland to London’s Stansted Airport on Wednesday.
In a video that has been shared by British newspaper, The Sun, Sam Thompson, 26, of Cheshunt, appears to neck a small bottle of alcohol at the rear of the plane, before making an obscene gesture to the camera.
After being breathalysed by the captain, Thompson was arrested and charged with “performing an aviation function, namely being a member of cabin of an aircraft during flight, when their ability to do so was impaired because of drink,” an Essex Police spokesperson said.
He is due to appear at Chelmsford magistrates’ court on June 8.
A passenger told The Sun: “I don’t know what he was thinking. I asked for a drink and when he came over he said to me, ‘Shush, don’t tell anyone but I will have one, too’. Then he started necking a shot of whiskey. He also had a 187ml bottle of rosé.
“He sounded drunk and looked like he had been drinking for longer than just on the flight. I asked to speak to the captain and he was furious.”
Ryanair said that the flight was being operated by sister company Lauda Europe.
A Ryanair spokesperson reiterated the alcohol consumption policy of sister company Lauda Europe and confirmed that the flight attendant in question was no longer employed by the company.
The spokesperson said: “Lauda Europe policy, in line with European Aviation Safety Agency regulation, prohibits the consumption of alcohol by cabin or flight crew from 8 hours prior to a flight duty until after the duty is complete.
“Lauda Europe has investigated a reported individual cabin crew breach of this strict policy on a flight from Rzeszow to Stansted (18 May). The cabin crew member in question no longer operates for Lauda Europe.”
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