United pilots suspected of being drunk arrested in Scotland

A United Airlines plane.
(Image credit: David McNew/Getty Images)

Police in Scotland said two United Airlines pilots were arrested Saturday, suspected of being drunk before they were set to fly 141 passengers to New Jersey.

The pilots, ages 35 and 45, were arrested at Glasgow Airport, and will be arraigned Monday in the Glasgow suburb of Paisley, facing charges connected with Britain's transport safety laws, The Associated Press reports. The pilots were scheduled to fly from Glasgow to Newark, and United Airlines said the flight was delayed 10 hours while they found replacement pilots. United spokeswoman Erin Benson said the pilots have been "removed from service and their flying duties. We are cooperating with the authorities and will conduct our own investigation as well. The safety of our customers and crew is our highest priority."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.