2025 is not the year for air travel, with all the major crashes happening around the world. It is both painful and scary. Social media is filled with such posts and news every day. People are avoiding air travel or certain airlines. Experts and numerologists are coming up with specific dates or months to avoid traveling by flight to remain safe. As unfortunate as it is, certain things are inevitable or can be thought of as an act of God. But what if some people put you in such situations due to their stupidity or negligence? Those who do not prioritize so many people’s lives over their habits or enjoyment. Yes, it’s 2025, and such people do exist! One such case was recently reported from a well-known airline company wherein a pilot was found to be ‘drunk’ before boarding her flight on a 9-hour journey. Yes, you read that right. Here’s how it was revealed and what happened next that shocked the passengers.
A female pilot of the US-based Delta Air Lines was about to fly a 9-hour non-stop flight with 198 passengers. But as she was preparing to take off, she failed a random breath test. Yes, she was found to be slightly high right before boarding a transatlantic flight from New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport at 9.15 a.m. local time. On July 22nd, the female pilot, whose name hasn’t been disclosed, was arrested by the local police from the same airport on the “suspicion of drunkenness.” She was on her way to embark on her journey on the Delta Air Lines flight 205, which was a 98-seat Boeing 767-300 due to land in New York at around 1 PM Eastern time. But the flight was scrapped after the woman was found to be ‘slightly high’, failing a breathalyzer test.
As per the legalities set by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), pilots are supposed to follow the “Bottle to Throttle” rule, which mandates that there should be at least 8 hours of gap between consuming alc*h*l and operating an aircraft. In fact, the FAA strongly recommends there be a 12-24 hour gap between the pilot’s last drink and the flight. And this rule was clearly breached here since the intoxicated female Delta pilot was found to have gone against the 0.04% blood alc*h*l content limit set by the FAA. However, as per the reports by the local police, she was not “significantly high” and hence, the verdict is pending.
Since her arrest, the woman has been taken into custody at Arlanda Airport in Sweden. As per the police, she was “hauled off the plane and arrested on the spot” after she failed the test. The flight was almost fully booked, and the failure to launch might cost Delta a loss of almost $140,000. That’s because the company might have to fork out $705 in cash compensation to every passenger on board. And speaking about the female pilot, if convicted, she will face grave consequences, including two years of pr*s*n and even the loss of her flying license.
When the passengers got to know about this grave negligence by the airlines, they were taken aback in shock. Delta has, however, assured that the safety and security of its customers is of utmost priority and hence, they will fully cooperate with authorities. It has even issued a public apology on behalf of its team.
No matter what the airline does, no one has the right to put public lives on stake for the sake of their personal enjoyment. Someone’s party should not result in others’ funerals. 2025 really does seem to be a scary time for air travel especially when responsible adults make stupidities like this.
