A United Airlines flight attendant, Margit Lake, was found to have consumed an excessive amount of vodka, exceeding the legal limit by tenfold for flying, on a transatlantic journey from San Francisco to Heathrow. Lake, aged 56, smuggled multiple miniature bottles of vodka onto the ten-hour flight, leading to her needing medical attention upon landing in London. Subsequent tests revealed that she had 216 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres in her blood, far surpassing the legal limit of 20 milligrams per 100 millilitres for flight attendants in the UK.
Following the incident, Lake, who had been with United Airlines for 26 years, resigned from her position. During the court hearing at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court, she admitted to performing an aviation function while intoxicated. Lake’s defense attorney, Ben Lansbury, explained that she was struggling with feelings of isolation, family estrangement, and grief, which led her to consume alcohol to calm down. He noted that Lake had been attending Alcoholics Anonymous regularly since the incident and was receiving support from her colleagues in the UK.
Magistrate Tony Delliston opted not to escalate the case to the crown court, instead imposing a financial penalty on Lake. She was fined £1,461 along with a £584 victim surcharge and £85 in court costs.