Head flight attendant arrested at Schiphol for alcohol use

A flight attendant was stopped by police at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam on Tuesday under suspicion of consuming too much alcohol. The 26-year-old purser was already on board a foreign airline’s plane when he was confronted by authorities, police said.

Police subjected the suspect to a breath analysis, which came back with a reading of 260 micrograms per liter of breath. Authorities converted this to the stricter blood alcohol concentration of .06, which is three times the legal limit for aircraft personnel.

By comparison, experienced drivers in The Netherlands can no longer operate a vehicle if their BAC is measured at .05, according to the website of the Dutch government.

“In aviation, aircraft personnel are not allowed to consume alcohol in the ten hours preceding a flight,” police said. “The other crew members were alcohol-free.”

The flight departed without the purser, police stated. He paid a spot fine of one thousand euro.