Where to begin...

She could've called off sick...

Or should I commend her for sucking it up and going to work?

How is that "terroristic"?

God I hate what America is becoming.

I think charging her with "operating a motor vehicle " is a bit rediculous, unless you count foodservice and a game of safety charades as integral to aircraft operation.

However this is quite a testament to the immaturity of my own generation. Put down the bottle, suck it up, and act your age.

I guess having to fly Delta every day would drive me to drink, too.

Now is a great time to use "terroristicalanese threats" to show America that terrorism really is a joke, a household term, but most importantly its a tool used to prosecute drunks.

Only America can exploit "day of terror (9/11/01)" to prosecute drunks.

Kelly Kapowski looks awful.

Probably because she drove to work while intoxicated. I say hit her with every charge you can think of. It amazes me how many late twenty-somethings are out at the bars till all hours drinking, sometimes in the middle of the week! Driving drunk, partying and being altogether irresponsible. When they should be becoming responsible adults, starting families, building careers, and looking to the future, they're sitting around drinking at 2am. It's pathetic.

@TechnoDestructo: Maybe she had a "light-bright."

@Yourhero88: She probably drove to work.

@Yourhero88: i think probably because she drove to work?

oh...I hear NorthWest is hiring btw.

@beyond: Hopefully next time you're in a bar, the police don't arrest you because you were probably drunk before you got there via a car, even if you sobered up.

It looks like a classic case of "lets throw every charge we can" at the suspect, and it will backfire (hopefully).

How am I possibly defending this fucktard?

@YOURHERO088 Common sense would say she drove her car to the Airport.Awesome she could drive but just couldnt keep it together when dealing with an A Hole Pilot.

@iamgibson: When I fly, I typically get a few drinks before I board because I really hate flying. I also get car service for every flight.

I knew a guy once who got charged with something like "terroristic threats" (among other things) for announcing his intent to fire a "Tom Cruise Missile" at a Scientology compound.

Compared to that, saying you're going to kill an airline pilot is perfectly reasonable as a "terroristic threat."

I want more drunk people on the plane. It would be some in flight entertainment, and I wouldn't have to pay to rent the damn headphones.

@yg17:

Not to mention if more stewardesses (stewdi?) were drunk, they would be "easy".

at least she looks better than your average flight attendant.

All in a day's work.

@beyond: I'm not going to defend this woman, but you're making a sweeping generalization about my generation. I'm 26 and if I want to stay out till 2AM damnit I will and if I decide not to go to work the next day, well god gave me sick days now didnt he.

As for your "should be starting a family" comment, seriously, I'm engaged my self but we're not seriously talking about having a family quite yet, you know why?

Because we want to still "party like a rock star" for just a bit longer.

And finaly, I'm 26, that chick looks like she's 46.

...and no, I'm not going back to check for spelling and grammar.

ironically, any guy would have to be drunk to hit that.

@beyond: I think you need to call the Orkin man to kill that bug that's up your ass.

@beyond: Yes, exactly. Because I'm sure that nobody in the 30s, 40s, or even 50s has ever stayed out late drinking or (gasp) gotten a DUI. The only pathetic thing is your laughable generalizing of an entire demographic.

I'm not one bit surprised. ASA (known in its coverage area as Absolutely Shitty Airline and Always Stuck in Atlanta) is the worst of the worst, particularly in customer "service." I used to be on a first-name basis with the guy who delivered their late luggage when I lived on the Florida panhandle. ASA's gate reps are so bad (their motto: "Make your flight or drop dead--it's all the same to us!") that Delta replaced them at Atlanta Hartsfield with actual Delta employees.

Think about that for a second. Customer service so bad that DELTA is an improvement. The mind boggles.

Too bad she's not an astronaut. NASA doesn't have a problem with them showing up for work drunk : )

Agreed that ASA is the bottom of the barrel. And I have the misfortune of using DL as my primary carrier, and encounter ASA a couple of dozen times a year.

*sigh*
how crazy this site has become...
We don't know why she was charged with operating a motor vehicle under the influence. It isn't clearly stated in either the consumerist.com blurb, nor is it specified in the original story. So since we don't know, we prolly shouldn't be criticizing the charge or making guesses as to why it was levied. She may have driven to work, they might have found an open liquor container in her car, the person who said they saw her drink might have told the police that they saw her drinking Jack Daniels in her car, or, and this happens all the time, she might have told the police that she got drunk and came into work.
and yes, you can go out all night and party 'like a rock star' no matter how old you are. It isn't illegal but no matter how many lame excuses you can come up with excusing it, it isn't responsible behavior either. Especially since calling in sick wouldn't have changed anything for the people who got stuck in the airport - the airline didn't have enough staff to operate the flight, so calling in sick doesn't work.
But to stick with that for a moment - there are some jobs that whacked out, irresponsible drunks who feel the need to party until 2 or 3 in the morning will never have (at least not for long): doctor, lawyer, judge, etc. Why? Because in those occupations, sick days don't really work out that well... So before you get on your high horse when people point out that this sort of behavior is sad, pathetic, and irresponsible, try to step back and think - those times you've done it have affected others around you who had to pick up your slack. When I call in sick, I can still work from home (sort of), thus minimizing the effects. I've worked with people like wormfather before. They like to go out mid week and call in sick because they got drunk. They laugh about it afterwards and think that their actions were harmless - meanwhile, people like me who care about our jobs have to crank even harder to cover for their young, irresponsible lifestyles.
What fun it is to come to work only to find out that now, you have to do the work of 2 people! Hooray! Youth is truly wasted on the young.

I've actually worked for Delta for several years, though the memory pains me like a root canal. So although I don't feel sorry for the girl getting in trouble for her irresponsibility, I certainly do empathize with her. You think it's bad traveling on Delta, try working for them.

The operating a motor vehicle thing is a stretch unless they absolutely can prove she was drunk behind the wheel of her car (assuming, of course, it's the 'she probably drove to work' part and not the 'intended to push buttons on an airplane' option). I mean, she may have driven to work at 11am and spent the entire day in an executive lounge getting soused.

Agreed, she's an idiot, but apparently so are the police.

@gibsonic:
Possibly her equally intoxicated husband.

Anyway, I'd like to know what she was drinking and if there's any left.

@Kangarara:
Another blatant use of assumptive reasoning....
You 'assume' the charge is a stretch because you couldn't possibly conceive of a reason for them to issue such a violation. Of course, you clearly aren't a cop or a lawyer.
You are right - she may have driven to work early and gotten sloshed at the lounge - or she might have to told the cop she was drinking and then left for work, or someone might have seen her drinking in her car, or she might have had an open container in her car.
She did a bad thing and made a bad decision - does that make her an idiot?
And based on your limited knowledge of what happened, and your total and complete ignorance of police work, you think the police are stupid too.
How clever.
Perhaps you should reserve judgment until you know the little things - like the facts?

@testsicles: And how.

The thing that people don't realize is that ALOT of people go to work drunk. The smart ones chalk it up to a cold or a flu. The really drunk ones are too drunk to make up a good excuse. It's not an age thing, it's an American thing. We fought for the right to drink back in Nineteen-hundred-and-thirty-three."

"Terroristic threatening" was over the top.

@synergy: \
Perhaps....
Or perhaps not?
According to the Kentucky statutes, Terroristic threatening is a law on the books, which means it was passed by the Kentucky legislature:
[www.lrc.ky.gov]
It's a misdemeanor charge, in this case, and appears to be a correct and reasonable charge....

So... an entire flight is canceled because one attendant couldn't make the flight? Sheesh.

Party like a rock star all you want. Don't complain when you're 65 greeting people at Walmart and you can't retire thanks to your sad career that went nowhere because you were too busy calling in sick with a hangover.

I partied when I was 21, 22, 23. Then I grew up and got a job. Partying like a rock star when you are a broke 28 year old is sad. One day you'll wake up and you'll be 35 still partying it up and probably still broke.

PS: Sick days are for when you are SICK, not when you just don't feel like going to work or were too irresponsible the night before. Your work doesn't disappear when you sit at home doing nothing, someone else is probably doing it for you. The words "work" and "ethic" do go together.

@beyond: 40 is the new 30.

Calling in sick is being responsible. At least it's not a no-call, no-show.

I guess all of us "young'ns" that live in cities where it's actually fun to stay out past the 11 o' clock news should move to places where we can find jobs where we have to walk two miles uphill in the snow (both ways! :) to get to a our job where the lunch hour that breaks up our miserable 12 hour shift is the highlight of our day.

Different jobs have different levels of responsibilty and structure associated with them. Hers had more than others. What I'm railing against is the blanket generalization here that everyone who stays out to last call every now and then is a no-respecting whippersnapper who will be a drag on society.

Getting drunk the night before you have to go to work and then calling in sick the day after is responsible because you could have just not shown up at all?

You know what when you call in sick and you are hung over - ie not sick - is called? It's called a lie. When caught in that lie, you can and should be fired.

This isn't about how much responsibility your work requires. This is about basic work ethics.

Interesting discussion!

@SugarRob:
Fact: If you have to work tomorrow, and you choose to stay out until 3 in the morning getting piss drunk - You are being irresponsible.\
Fact: Society, in order to function, relies on people being responsible.
Fact: if you want to stay out late and get wasted, that's fine- as long as you don't have to work in the morning.
See, the issue here is one of personal responsibility. Just like it isn't okay to get drunk before work, be drunk at work, or get drink while at work, getting wasted and staying out late when you know you have to be up and alert in the morning for your job isn't okay. Nor is it responsible, respectful of your co-workers, or insufficient grounds for termination.
I used to manage people for a living. I have fired people for being drunk at work, getting drunk at work, and showing up hungover/wasted from last nights partying. I have also fired people for calling in sick after finding out that they were sick because they spent the night belly up to a bar. Bottom line: there is no excuse for staying out late and getting plastered the night before you have to work. Period. To argue otherwise only shows your level of maturity, a lack of common sense, and a total disregard for your employer, coworkers, and pride in your job.
Maybe the problem is that you (the grand you: ppl who think this sort of behavior is okay, not you individually) work at jobs where you just don't care.....

@beyond:

Ignoring the fact that this holds zero relevance to the conversation - but I am in my late twenties, hold a very reputable job, take in an above average salary for someone my age, and will be out till past 4 several times a week.

Were you the guy that spent all week studying for a test, but crying foul when someone else that hadn't studied did better?

I fail to understand how one retarded stewardess, who can't hold her booze or tongue evokes such a passionate response from you. Who cares if someone comes into work hungover, and lies about it? Unless it is somehow affecting you, your advancement, or your reputation; what's your beef.

If you're such a better person, stronger worker, and straighter shooter - you should have no problem leaving these hordes of irresponsible drunk minions (whippersnappers?) far behind in your wake.

@hustler: Drinking at the airport is totally different then drinking and driving you neurotic flying num nut.

she's supposed to be on the plane and ensure the safety of the passengers... that's why they nailed her for the drunk operation charge.

26? The pic at the top looks more like 35-40!

While I do not defend what she did, she cannot be charged with operating a motor vehicle under the influence on the assumption that she drove to work. You need to be observed by law enforcement in the act to be charged.

@doctor_cos: Depends on the state, mi amigo. Could be different in Kentucky.

And maybe she's one of those drunks who gets all chummy with everybody, and she just wanted to make sure her passengers knew how "friendly" the "friendly skies" could really be?

@segfault:
Hard livin'll do that to ya.

@bedofnails:
Perhaps Beyond was the one in the group who got caught.

@beyond: + @beyond: Uhm... you really are serious about this, aren't you? I hope not. I mean, we all know that just because I'm gainfully employed, by going out with friends, I'm Hurting America...

I would say burden of proof is for the police to determine whether she got drunk at the airport, or drove to work drunk. Hard to prove beyond a shadow of doubt since she was not caught in the act. Public intoxication is guaranteed though.

Remember, calling in sick with a hangover and saying you do not feel well is not a lie at all. Remember, the truth is just an illusion created by circumstance.

There is a thin line between irresponsibility and stupidity. Let us just say, staying up late getting drunk and having to be at work in 5 hours is pretty stupid. But even if you make a stupid mistake like that, at least if you have any sense of responsibility, you call in sick. Tell them why even, employers will respect that you are not wasting their time and money and not risking costly mistakes. Don't make a habit of it naturally, or you deserve to be fired.

Also, don't be stupid enough to do it multiple days in a row as your employer will want a doctor's note...