A British Airways flight attendant was allegedly discovered dancing naked in a business class bathroom during a trans-Atlantic flight after reportedly ingesting drugs.
According to media reports, the AWOL staff member was found after managerial staff noticed he was not present for his meal service duties aboard the Airbus A380-800 bound for London Heathrow over the weekend.
A British Airways Airbus A380-800 on the taxiway at Heathrow Airport, west London. Picture date: Saturday, December 28, 2024.
James Manning/ Getty Images
After searching the plane, the cabin staff reportedly discovered their scantily-clad coworker dancing alone in the toilet.
They proceeded to dress their colleague in pyjamas usually offered to first-class passengers, before strapping him into a first-class seat for the remainder of the almost 11-hour flight, according to multiple reports.
Police stationed at London Heathrow Airport told People in a statement that officers were contacted by the cabin crew of the inbound flight at 9:32 a.m. local time on Sunday, May 25, regarding the welfare of a man onboard.
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Authorities confirmed that the man, 41, was taken to the hospital after landing and was later arrested on suspicion of being unfit for duty. He has since been released and is under investigation, the statement concluded.
Meanwhile, the airline told People that the situation was “a matter for the police.”
While stories of unruly flight staff are few and far between, incidents involving misbehaving passengers, and sometimes animals, occur from time to time as well.
Last week, a Delta Air Lines flight got off to a very disorderly start when two pigeons inside the plane’s cabin caused a brief bout of panic among passengers.
An aptly-named Instagram user, Tom Caw, shared details from the scene, writing that he heard another passenger tell a flight attendant that there was a pigeon on the plane.
“The pilot got on the mic and confirmed a pigeon was on the plane, and said he had no experience with the situation,” Caw wrote.
It wasn’t long until Caw wrote, “baggage handlers boarded and carried the pigeon off. People applauded. A young girl asked if she could pet it.”
Last month, a customer travelling from New York to Milan, Italy, on an American Airlines flight left staff with no choice but to turn the plane around and fly back to the U.S. after he allegedly threw a fit over his meal.
The airline said the passenger became increasingly angry when he did not receive the meal he believed he had requested in his booking.
He also reportedly attempted to take an exit row and challenged flight attendants when he was informed he was not permitted to sit there because he was traveling with a child, Good Morning America reported.
Upon landing in New York City, police boarded the plane and removed the man and his family.
Later, the pilot apologized to staff, saying, “We normally don’t see that type of behaviour on an international flight like that. I am so sorry that this happened; it was out of our control.”
The passengers were offered meal vouchers for the inconvenience, and the man was reportedly not charged.
— with files from Global News’ Michelle Butterfield
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