Strangely, given the reputation of the USA for harsh penalties, the response to their crew members who get into difficulty with alcohol is interesting. Generally, employees are offered support, a rehab clinic and encouraged to address their problems with a view to keeping their jobs.
We have represented a number of crew members at Uxbridge Magistrates Court who have been referred by their union. In our latest case the cabin crew member was more than 5 times over the prescribed limit. Remarkably, the court was persuaded to sentence by way of a fine allowing an extremely happy client to take the first plane back home following excellent representation by our solicitor colleague, Martin Davidson, instructed by Liani Holland.