Passengers on flight DL209 from Edinburgh, Scotland, to New York in the eastern United States, were sitting in their seats when they were suddenly told that their flight had been cancelled. The surprising reason: one of the pilots who was supposed to fly the plane arrived at the airport drunk, which led to his arrest by local authorities and arrest and indictment for violating UK transport laws.
The 61-year-old pilot who was arrested is one of Delta's veteran pilots, and yet that didn't stop him from arriving at the flight drunk at a much higher level than allowed. According to British law, an aircrew member is allowed to arrive on a flight with up to 20 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood, and drivers on the road – up to 50 milliliters of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood.
Edinburgh Airport (archive), photo: Getty Images
Delta confirmed the case, noting that they are in regular contact with local authorities. As for the passengers who were on the flight, they hosted them at the hotel at their own expense until a new flight was arranged for them. "Our alcohol policy is one of the strictest in the industry, and we have no tolerance for violating it. Either way, we apologize to customers affected by the flight cancellation," the airline said in a statement.
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