BA attendant is sacked 'after downing bottles of wine before flight because she was stressed'

Published: 01:17, 5 May 2026 | Updated: 01:17, 5 May 2026 A drunk flight attendant who was eight times the alcohol limit while on a flight to Spain last month has claimed she was stressed.  Pilot's wife Deborah Merritt, 59, from Basingstoke, Hampshire, downed bottles of wine on a British Airways flight from Heathrow to Malaga after a family incident.  A test revealed she had an alcohol level of 70mcg in 100ml of breath - but the limit for crew is nine mcg.  She was taken to the back of the aircraft and buckled into a seat before being arrested when the plane landed.  Merritt had worked for British Airways for 37 years before she was sacked after her arrest.  The ex-BA employee admitted a drink-related charge after a second test showed a reading of 52mcg.  Uxbridge magistrates fined her £768 with £392 costs. Defending, Ghulam Ali said Merritt was stressed as she was dealing with a family incident.  Deborah Merritt, 59, from Basingstoke, Hampshire, admitted a drink-related charge after a second test showed a reading of 52mcg She had worked for British Airways for 37 years before she was sacked after her arrest Mr Ali told the court that Merritt had a few bottles of wine the day before, The Sun reports. He said: 'She thought it would be out of her system. She doesn't eat so much.'  Merritt told the court: 'I'm devastated I won't be able to do this job again.' The Daily Mail has approached British Airways for comment.   No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.