[Poohbah]

The statement amounted to public defamation. Notice that the pilots got tested to make sure they weren't drinking.

Stupid people really need to be forbidden to go out in public.

[jsraggmann]

I would have done exactly what the pilots did. As a flight crewmember, you realy have no choice. This is a sure way to get your ass thrown off and take a long delay, or even have the flight cancelled. The mere suggestion of intoxication is taken very seriously. This reaction may not be "fair", but that's exactly what will happen in this instance.