What was presented to British Airways cabin crew as a post-flight “thank you” has turned into a cautionary tale for airline employees worldwide.
Passenger “Thank You” Sends British Airways Crew To Hospital In Los Angeles
Three British Airways cabin crew members were rushed to a hospital in Los Angeles after unknowingly consuming cannabis-infused sweets that had been given to them by a passenger following a flight from London Heathrow (LHR) to Los Angeles (LAX).
The incident purportedly occurred after the flight landed on February 11, 2026. According to reports, the sweets were shared among crew members while they were traveling on a transfer bus to their hotel following arrival. The crew members later experienced symptoms including panic, disorientation, and intense anxiety, prompting emergency medical evaluation at a local hospital. These sweets reportedly contained a high dose of THC (300mg).
All three crew members later recovered fully.
British Airways confirmed that the consumption occurred after the flight had concluded and emphasized that there was no risk to passenger safety or aircraft operations. As a precaution, the airline stood down the entire operating crew, arranged a replacement team for the return flight to London, and will repatriate the affected crew members as passengers.
The airline has launched an internal investigation to identify the passenger who provided the sweets. British Airways sources have indicated that the crew had no knowledge that the items contained cannabis and that no disciplinary action is planned against the flight attendants.
Small gifts from appreciative passengers are not uncommon in aviation, especially chocolates or packaged snacks offered at the start or end of a long flight. However, this incident highlights how quickly a seemingly well-meaning gesture can create medical, legal, and operational consequences.
Accepting edible gifts introduces risks that are difficult to mitigate. Crew members have no way of verifying ingredients, dosage, or contamination. Even absent malicious intent, the consequences can be severe, particularly for safety-sensitive employees operating under zero-tolerance policies. If these were given while boarding, as gifts of this nature often are, it’s a good think the crew didn’t eat these during the flight…
CONCLUSION
Three British Airways flight attendants have recovered after ingesting THC-laden gummies in Los Angeles (of course), which were ostensibly presented by a passenger as gift to the flight crew.
The outcome here could have been far worse, and it raises a necessary question for both airlines and flight attendants:
Should cabin crew ever accept edible gifts from passengers at all?
(We’ll discuss that in more detail in an upcoming post)
300 mg is a crazy high dose. Like the weed gummies I usually partake in are 10 mg THC and sometimes even half of one is enough to have an effect. I can’t imagine what it would have been like one 30x that strong, especially without knowing that I was consuming THC at all. I have no issues with recreationally using weed as an adult, but that seems like borderline poisoning somebody (after all it’s the dose that makes the poison).