A mum who was on-board the plane about to be flown by an alcoholic pilot whilst over the limit says he should have gone straight to prison.
Catherine Halliday, 30, says she now has nightmares about him flying them after seeing him led away from the plane in handcuffs.
David Copeland, 63, was captain of an American Airlines flight due to set off from Manchester Airport to Philadelphia on the morning of Thursday, February 7.
However, the flight was held and he was led from the cockpit after a security worker smelt alcohol on him and alerted police.
A court today heard he has since been diagnosed with an alcohol addiction and has received inpatient treatment back in his homeland.
He was spared jail by a judge who suspended his six month sentence.
However, Catherine, one of the hundreds of passengers on board, says she believes he should have been sent to prison.
Miss Halliday, from the Isle of Sheppey in Kent, was travelling to the States with her seven year-old daughter Tiffany, who has a number of disabilities and who had been invited to take part in New York fashion week, as well as friend Whitney and her daughter Emily.
She says the first time she knew something was wrong was when she heard 'raised voices' coming from the front of the plane.
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"I could hear raised voices and the curtain was drawn as we got on but I thought nothing of it" she told the M.E.N.
"Then I saw him being led away in handcuffs through the window. I wasn't sure if it was the pilot or first officer at that stage.
"But I remember thinking 'was that what I thought it was?'
"They didn't tell us anything over the tannoy when they told us to get off and collect our luggage.
"They just said it was an 'aviation issue' or something like that which made us think maybe there was something wrong with the plane.
"I didn't want to discuss it too much in front of the kids but someone came down from the front and said they'd heard he'd been arrested for being drunk and everyone started to talk about it.
"The kids heard and started to get really upset.
"It was like a bit of a dream really when we were back in the terminal no one could really believe it.
"It's just not something you ever hear of, and all my friends thought it was a joke when I told them.
"It was chaotic in the terminal as others were trying to get another flight. There were a lot of very angry people.
Catherine eventually managed to be get re-booked on a British Airways flight to New York, via London, several hours later and says she began to see news report about Copeland's arrest as they landed.
She has since followed news of his court appearances including his sentencing at Minshull Street Crown.
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The court was told he had had a 'modest' amount of alcohol with his dinner before having a nightcap of rum in his hotel room the night before, which he says must have been what left him over the legal limit for flying which 20ml in 100ml of blood.
That is different to the US where the limit is 40.
It is much lower than the limit for driving in the UK, which is 80ml of alcohol in 100ml of blood.
Copeland's defence said he was now getting treatment for alcoholism and hoped to return to flying next year.
And judge Maurice Greene said he felt able to suspend the 63 year-old's six month prison sentence for a year.
However Miss Halliday said she thinks the punishment should have been harsher and questioned whether he should be allowed behind the controls again,
"I'm very surprised he didn't go straight to prision. I just assumed he would if I'm honest.
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"Even if it was just a few months it would have sent out a strong message, which I don't think this does.
"I don't know why pilots aren't automatically tested. We have to go really stringent security, surely all pilots could have to take a breath test before boarding?
"I've had nightmares about him being allowed to fly us.
"He could have killed everyone on board, including himself. It's a terrifying thought."
American Airlines are supporting "much loved and respected" pilot Copeland, who has clocked up over 27,000 flight miles during his career, whilst he receives treatment, the court was told today.
He would have to undergo a neuro-psychiatric evaluation to assess his fitness to fly before he could return to the cockpit.
The airline said after the hearing they didn't comment on "internal personnel matters."
However a spokesman said: "Safety is our highest priority and we apologize to our customers for the disruption to their travel plans back on February 7.
"We continue to fully cooperate with local law enforcement on their investigation."
"Our team back on February 7 worked to rebook all impacted passengers, including on our partner British Airways" they added.
