A pair of Delta Air Lines flight attendants were pulled from a New York-bound flight and fined after failing a random breathalyzer test at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport last week.
The first crewmember registered a blood alcohol content just above the Netherlands' legal limit of 0.02 at 0.024 and was fined $290 while the other blew 0.143, which is seven times the legal limit for flight crews and nearly double the legal limit allowed for drivers in the U.S.
The second flight attendant received the maximum penalty of $1,900.
"Delta's alcohol policy is among the strictest in the industry and we have zero tolerance for violation," a spokesperson for the airline said. "The employees were removed from their scheduled duties and the flight departed as scheduled."
Breathalyzer tests were given to 445 airline employees at the airport, with a third flight attendant from an unspecified airline also blowing over the legal limit and receiving a $1,900 fine.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) advises waiting eight hours between drinking and flying. Meanwhile, the Netherlands prohibits pilots and crew members from drinking within 10 hours of a scheduled flight.
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