Flight Attendant Busted 10X Over the Alcohol Limit on Flight

Passengers on a United Airlines flight from San Francisco to Heathrow had no idea one of their attendants was secretly sipping vodka in the galley — until she landed in handcuffs.

56-year-old Margit Lake, a longtime U.S. air stewardess, was ten times over the legal alcohol limit for flight crew when the Boeing 777 touched down in London, a court has revealed.

According to testimony at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court, Lake snuck several “miniature bottles” of vodka onto the 10-hour transatlantic flight last month. After landing, paramedics were called when she appeared unwell — and immediately “smelled alcohol on her breath.”

Tests later confirmed Lake had a staggering 216 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood — more than ten times what’s allowed for flight attendants in the U.K.

The Californian, who had worked for United Airlines for 26 years, has since resigned and told the court she’s been attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings “almost daily.” Her lawyer said she’d been battling isolation, estrangement from her family, and recent grief.

“She had the alcohol because she needed to calm down,” her attorney, Ben Lansbury, told the court. “It was something of a shock to her as to what happened. She deeply regrets what happened.”

Lake, dressed in a black cardigan, pleaded guilty to performing an aviation function while over the alcohol limit. Magistrate Tony Delliston told her she would avoid jail, instead issuing fines totaling over £2,000 — including a victim surcharge and court costs.

United Airlines has not commented on whether the flight was reported to aviation authorities, but insiders say the incident has sparked internal discussions about new in-flight alcohol rules for staff.