A video of the drunk United Airlines flight attendant apparently passed out on the August 2 flight.ABCA United Airlines attendant was intoxicated on duty, slurring through an incomplete safety demonstration before passing out on a flight from Chicago to Indiana, prosecutors and passengers have said.
The St. Joseph County Prosecutor's Office charged Julianne March, 49, with public intoxication on Thursday, according to an affidavit seen by The Belleville News-Democrat.
Police attended the Air Wisconsin-operated aircraft at South Bend Airport, Indiana, after it landed from Chicago's O'Hare Airport on August 2, after reports the attendant was intoxicatedAccording to prosecutors, March had slurred her in-flight safety speech, stopped it after 10 seconds, ignored the internal telephone, bumped into passengers, and then passed out with her seatbelt undone.
Passenger Aaron Scherb told ABC News March, who was the sole attendant onboard, was "incomprehensible."
After police had taken March off the plane in South Bend they asked her what city she was in, the News-Democrat reported. March replied: "Chicago."
March was breathalyzed and found to be five times over the legal limit for flight attendants, with a blood-alcohol content of .20, prosecutors said.
The News-Democrat report that police noted March had "bloodshot eyes, slurred speech, poor balance, and the smell of alcohol on her breath."
A still from a video showing the United attendant giving an announcement.ABCMarch later told police she drank two vodka "shooters" before she started work that day, according to charging documents cited by the newspaper.
A St. Joseph County Prosecutor's Office spokeswoman said March could face six months in jail if found guilty.
March is also facing charges of endangering passengers, ABC News reported. The affidavit states March had "endangered the life of another person ... the passengers on the flight."
Air Wisconsin, which operated the flight for United, told ABC News March was no longer employed with the airline.
Business Insider has contacted United Airlines for comment, but is yet to receive a response.
Hey @united, our flight attendant appears to be quite drunk on this from from ORD to SBN. She is slurring her speech (she couldn't make it through the security announcement), couldn't walk straight/was bumping into everyone in the aisle, and kept dropping things.
- Aaron Scherb (@aaronscherb) August 2, 2019