- A Ryanair flight attendant admitted to working after consuming alcohol, outlets reported.
- Sam Thompson was seen by a passenger drinking whiskey mid-flight.
- Airlines have strict rules which prevent staff consuming alcohol several hours before a flight.
A Ryanair flight attendant filmed drinking whiskey and wine on a flight admitted to a court that he worked while intoxicated, according to multiple outlets, including the BBC and The Independent.
The crew member Sam Thompson was reported to airline staff after he was spotted drinking whiskey from the trolley by a passenger on a flight from Rzeszow, Poland to London Stansted Airport on May 18, the outlets reported.
Thompson was also seen removing a miniature bottle of wine from his pocket and "necking the whole bottle" mid-flight, the outlets reported, citing the passenger who witnessed the incident.
Video footage of the incident published by The Sun appears to show Thompson drinking rose wine straight from the bottle, before wincing. Later he can be seen drinking from another miniature bottle before appearing to gag and come close to vomiting.
He then makes a middle-finger gesture to the camera.
At a hearing at Chelmsford Magistrates Court on Monday, prosecutor Nishma Khan said Thompson drew a reading of 50 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of breath when breathalyzed by police at Stansted Airport upon landing. Upon being breathalyzed again at a nearby police station, Thompson drew a reading of 39 micrograms per 100ml of breath.
The legal limit for staff on flights to the UK is nine micrograms of alcohol per 100ml of breath, according to Khan. The legal drink driving limit in England is 35 micrograms per 100ml of breath.
Most airlines have rules preventing staff consuming alcohol several hours before flying.
According to the FAA, US airline staff must must leave at least eight hours between consuming alcohol and flying, or moving from "bottle to throttle."
According to Ryanair's own internal code of ethics, being impaired as a result of alcohol while working is "strictly prohibited."
Thompson has since been fired by Ryanair, according to The Independent. The flight he worked on was operated by the airline's sister company, Lauda Europe.
Ryanair did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.