FLIGHT RISK

United Flight Attendant Caught 10 Times Over Legal Alcohol Limit

The flight attendant claims she drank vodka to “calm down.”

A United Airlines flight attendant was ten times over the legal alcohol limit during a flight to London, court testimony revealed. Margit Lake, the 56-year-old flight attendant, was fined more than $2,000 after she allegedly drank “multiple miniature bottles” on the transatlantic trip from San Francisco to London last month, The Daily Mail reported. She appeared this week in court, where it was revealed that she had “alcohol on her breath” after she landed in London. Blood tests found the attendant had 216 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood; more than ten times the legal limit of 10 mg for U.K. flight attendants. Lake was reportedly consuming alcohol “to calm down” because she was feeling “isolated” and “dealing with grief” after being estranged from her family. Her defense attorney Ben Lansbury said that “it was something of a shock to her,” and that “she deeply regrets what happened.” He also noted that Lake has gone to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings daily since her last hearing.