Flight Attendants Told to Ditch Their ‘Red Eye’ Essential as Celsius Energy Drinks Could Trigger Positive Alcohol Test

Flight attendants across the United States are being urged to stop drinking Celsius energy drinks after it was revealed that cans of the popular beverage may have been filled with High Noon vodka seltzer by mistake.

Celsius has fast become the go-to caffeinated beverage for flight attendants trying to survive gruelling overnight Red Eye flights, but the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA-CWA) is warning that the risk just isn’t worth taking.

The warning comes just days after High Noon announced a recall through the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of Celsius Astro Vibe drinks because consuming these beverages could “result in unintentional alcohol ingestion.”

High Noon, the producer of canned vodka seltzer drinks, does not own Celsius, but the two companies use a shared packaging supplier where the mix-up is believed to have occurred.

According to High Noon, the mislabelled cans were sent to outlets in Florida, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Virginia, and Wisconsin between July 21 and July 23.

Despite outlets including the likes of Walmart saying they had taken immediate measures to remove potentially mislabelled cans from their stores, the Association of Flight Attendants says it “strongly advises all Flight Attendants to discontinue the use of Celsius drinks while flying until this matter has been fully resolved and confirmed safe.”

“Your safety and compliance with company policy and federal regulations are our top priority,” the internal memo continued. “Please exercise caution and share this information with fellow crew members.”

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has very strict alcohol and drug rules for pilots and flight attendants, and crew members are subject to regular and random tests.

US aircrew are barred from drinking any alcohol at least eight hours before a flight, and even then, they must not have an alcohol concentration of 0.04 or greater in a blood or breath specimen.

Even accidental consumption could result in termination and a hefty fine from the FAA.

Aviation unions take the issue so seriously that in December 2023, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA), which represents crew at American Airlines, warned its members that even using NyQuil could lead to a positive alcohol test result.

NyQuil cold and flu nighttime relief liquid contains 10% alcohol, and many other popular over-the-counter cold, flu, and cough medicines also contain alcohol.

In 2020, a former American Airlines flight attendant even alleged that he lost his job because the low-carb, high-fat Keto diet led to a false positive alcohol test result.

Andrew Riley claimed that the diet led to his body going into the metabolic state of ketosis, whereby the liver breaks down fat for fuel, and in turn, acetone is produced as a byproduct.

Some of that unwanted acetone can then be released in your breath as isopropyl alcohol. In Riley’s case, he blew 0.5 on a breathalyzer test, and he was sacked from his job at American Airlines.

Along with the accidental consumption of alcohol, flight attendants have been repeatedly warned about accidentally failing a drug test due to popular CBD products.

Flight attendants aren’t actually banned from using CBD in itself, but some of these products may also contain tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, which is found in marijuana. This is the substance that the FAA looks for when testing for marijuana use.

Even in states where marijuana has been legalized, flight attendants are banned from consuming this drug at a federal level, and a positive drug test could result in instant dismissal.

Currently, airlines are required to randomly select 25% of their flight attendant workforce each year for a drug test, while 10% are subjected to an alcohol breathalyzer test.