A flight attendant was arrested and sacked last week after being filmed by passengers “necking” alcohol on a flight.
A passenger on the flight from Rzeszow, Poland to London Stansted told The Sun that he had filmed the employee drinking wine and whisky on a Ryanair flight.
Ryanair says the flight was being operated by its sister company, Lauda Europe. Representatives of the airline confirmed that the incident had occured on 18 May, and that the employee in question had been fired.
The passenger says the male flight attendant drank a miniature bottle of wine and a shot of Jack Daniels from the plane’s drinks trolley.
The person, who asked not to be named, 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’.”
The passenger continues: “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.”
Video taken by the passenger shows a male flight attendant appearing to drink minatures from the aircraft trolley. He can be heard saying: “Don’t make it obvious”.
The employee is wearing a Ryanair lanyard as well as a purple striped tie (male staff on Ryanair flights wear a yellow tie).
Lauda Airlines is a Maltese low-cost airline owned by Ryanair Group.
Rules for both Ryanair and Lauda Europe dictate that employees may not consume alcohol for eight hours before a flight, as well as during the flight.
A Ryanair spokesperson told The Independent: “Lauda Europe policy, in line with European Aviation Safety Agency regulation, prohibits the consumption of alcohol by cabin or flight crew from eight 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.”
Essex Police said that a 26-year-old man, named as Sam Thompson, had been 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”.
Mr Thompson is set to appear at Chelmsford magistrates’ court on 8 June.
