An employment appeals tribunal has heard that a former Aer Lingus cabin crew attendent went loco after eating a marajuana-laced cookie.
Miguel Saez Sanchez, 32, was so high that he hardly needed the Dublin-bound San Francisco plane that he was working on to get back to Ireland in March 2009.
The effects of the cookie kicked in when the plane took off, at which point he became paranoid and delusional, believing that there were fleas on his face and that passengers were laughing at him and taking his photo.
Sanchez told the tribunal that he had been with friends at a party in Los Angeles on the day before his flight and during the party he’d downed three or four vodkas and had unwittingly eaten the cookie with containing the marajuana.
When he realised what had happened he became upset and took a shower, during which time he had an attack of paranoia and believed that he was being filmed.
The tribunal heard that the next day he felt fine. Margaret Curran, the senior member of the cabin crew on his flight, reported that there was no indication prior to take-off that he was unfit to fly.
Once in the air, however, things went pear-shaped. At one stage Sanchez walked up to premier seating with his jacket on and a briefcase in his hand, causing a passenger to remark that “that gentleman looks like he’s going somewhere”.
“He looked like he was getting off the flight,” Ms Curran said.
Sanchez was subsequently dismissed. A verdict in the case is expected within the next two months.
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