A Delta flight to New York was canceled shortly before takeoff after a crew member was arrested

A Delta flight to New York was canceled shortly before takeoff after a crew member was arrested
  • Delta canceled a flight after authorities arrested a crew member, a spokesperson told Insider.

  • The Friday flight was scheduled to go from Edinburgh, Scotland, to New York City.

  • Delta "reaccommodated" customers after canceling the flight just before takeoff.

Delta Airlines canceled a flight from Edinburgh, Scotland, to New York City and "reaccomodated" passengers after local authorities arrested a crew member before takeoff.

A Delta spokesperson confirmed in a statement to Insider that local authorities had taken one crew member from the flight into custody Friday morning. "Delta is assisting the authorities with their on-going enquiries," the statement said.

While the spokesperson did not confirm the crew member's role, Mateusz Maszczynski, an international flight attendant who publishes a blog for airline workers, reported that the plane's pilot was arrested and taken into custody.

 

Maszczynski said the crew member was charged under the Railways and Transport Safety Act of 2003, or RTSA, which in part, imposes limits on crew members' alcohol consumption.

The spokesperson declined to provide a reason for the arrest but wrote that "Delta's alcohol policy is among the strictest in the industry and we have no tolerance for violation."

According to the RTSA, the legal blood-alcohol limit for airline-crew members is 20 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood. The blood-alcohol limit for driving a car in Scotland, on the other hand, is 50 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood.

Maszczynski said that the maximum penalty for anyone found guilty of being "over the prescribed limit" is a two-year jail sentence.

Read the original article on Insider