Narrative:

Passenger became irate because she did not like her kosher meal. She didn't think it was enough items in it. She started yelling at the #2 flight attendant. She offered her a regular meal and she refused. She asked for #2 flight attendant's name. #2 flight attendant wrote it down. She yelled at her again because she didn't write her first name. #2 flight attendant said she wasn't comfortable giving her her first name at this point. She could get her first name after the flight. She then started yelling at the passenger in front of her. She was advised the fasten seat belt sign was on and was advised to situation down. Again #2 flight attendant advised her to situation down and fasten her seat belt. That is when she hit #2 flight attendant on the forearm. I was the #1 flight attendant and in first class. I didn't know anything was going on until #2 flight attendant came up front and was crying and showed me her arm. It was real red. You could see the hand mark on her arm and it stayed red for a long time. The captain went back to talk to the passenger. He was back talking to her for approximately 15 mins. The passenger prevented #2 flight attendant from performing her duties because #2 flight attendant was unable to work after that. The captain removed #2 flight attendant from the cabin and had her situation in the cockpit. The passenger also prevented our captain from performing his duties for a short time. The passenger was yelling at our #4 flight attendant. She was also yelling at the passenger seated in front of her. Supplemental information from acn 408942: I was on the forward end of the beverage cart. The #2 flight attendant came up to me and asked if I could see anything on her arm. I said yes, that there was a fairly large red mark on her forearm. I thought maybe she had burned her arm on an oven rack. She stated that a female passenger had struck her because she did not have her kosher meal! The #2 flight attendant was very much shaken up by the event, so much so that she could not perform any of her duties for the remainder of the flight. This was unfortunate, particularly so because she was the spanish speaker for this flight. None of the PA was delivered in spanish, which I felt was unfortunate, given that a number of the passenger did not speak english. The #1 flight attendant told me to take the #2 jump seat for landing. The captain said for me to do this since the #2 flight attendant would remain on the cockpit jump seat for landing. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter states that she was extra crew and she left the arrival area shortly after landing and had cleared customs. She stated that the captain had auths meet the aircraft, in addition to company personnel who were at the arrival area to assist. Reporter did not know the final outcome, but stated that the flight attendant injured was overwhelmed at arrival with the choices she had to make concerning the incident, one of which was to personally press charges against the passenger that assaulted her.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AT CRUISE ONBOARD MD80S, PAX ASSAULTED CABIN ATTENDANT AND INCAPACITATED HER. FLT LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT.

Narrative: PAX BECAME IRATE BECAUSE SHE DID NOT LIKE HER KOSHER MEAL. SHE DIDN'T THINK IT WAS ENOUGH ITEMS IN IT. SHE STARTED YELLING AT THE #2 FLT ATTENDANT. SHE OFFERED HER A REGULAR MEAL AND SHE REFUSED. SHE ASKED FOR #2 FLT ATTENDANT'S NAME. #2 FLT ATTENDANT WROTE IT DOWN. SHE YELLED AT HER AGAIN BECAUSE SHE DIDN'T WRITE HER FIRST NAME. #2 FLT ATTENDANT SAID SHE WASN'T COMFORTABLE GIVING HER HER FIRST NAME AT THIS POINT. SHE COULD GET HER FIRST NAME AFTER THE FLT. SHE THEN STARTED YELLING AT THE PAX IN FRONT OF HER. SHE WAS ADVISED THE FASTEN SEAT BELT SIGN WAS ON AND WAS ADVISED TO SIT DOWN. AGAIN #2 FLT ATTENDANT ADVISED HER TO SIT DOWN AND FASTEN HER SEAT BELT. THAT IS WHEN SHE HIT #2 FLT ATTENDANT ON THE FOREARM. I WAS THE #1 FLT ATTENDANT AND IN FIRST CLASS. I DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING WAS GOING ON UNTIL #2 FLT ATTENDANT CAME UP FRONT AND WAS CRYING AND SHOWED ME HER ARM. IT WAS REAL RED. YOU COULD SEE THE HAND MARK ON HER ARM AND IT STAYED RED FOR A LONG TIME. THE CAPT WENT BACK TO TALK TO THE PAX. HE WAS BACK TALKING TO HER FOR APPROX 15 MINS. THE PAX PREVENTED #2 FLT ATTENDANT FROM PERFORMING HER DUTIES BECAUSE #2 FLT ATTENDANT WAS UNABLE TO WORK AFTER THAT. THE CAPT REMOVED #2 FLT ATTENDANT FROM THE CABIN AND HAD HER SIT IN THE COCKPIT. THE PAX ALSO PREVENTED OUR CAPT FROM PERFORMING HIS DUTIES FOR A SHORT TIME. THE PAX WAS YELLING AT OUR #4 FLT ATTENDANT. SHE WAS ALSO YELLING AT THE PAX SEATED IN FRONT OF HER. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 408942: I WAS ON THE FORWARD END OF THE BEVERAGE CART. THE #2 FLT ATTENDANT CAME UP TO ME AND ASKED IF I COULD SEE ANYTHING ON HER ARM. I SAID YES, THAT THERE WAS A FAIRLY LARGE RED MARK ON HER FOREARM. I THOUGHT MAYBE SHE HAD BURNED HER ARM ON AN OVEN RACK. SHE STATED THAT A FEMALE PAX HAD STRUCK HER BECAUSE SHE DID NOT HAVE HER KOSHER MEAL! THE #2 FLT ATTENDANT WAS VERY MUCH SHAKEN UP BY THE EVENT, SO MUCH SO THAT SHE COULD NOT PERFORM ANY OF HER DUTIES FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE FLT. THIS WAS UNFORTUNATE, PARTICULARLY SO BECAUSE SHE WAS THE SPANISH SPEAKER FOR THIS FLT. NONE OF THE PA WAS DELIVERED IN SPANISH, WHICH I FELT WAS UNFORTUNATE, GIVEN THAT A NUMBER OF THE PAX DID NOT SPEAK ENGLISH. THE #1 FLT ATTENDANT TOLD ME TO TAKE THE #2 JUMP SEAT FOR LNDG. THE CAPT SAID FOR ME TO DO THIS SINCE THE #2 FLT ATTENDANT WOULD REMAIN ON THE COCKPIT JUMP SEAT FOR LNDG. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES THAT SHE WAS EXTRA CREW AND SHE LEFT THE ARR AREA SHORTLY AFTER LNDG AND HAD CLRED CUSTOMS. SHE STATED THAT THE CAPT HAD AUTHS MEET THE ACFT, IN ADDITION TO COMPANY PERSONNEL WHO WERE AT THE ARR AREA TO ASSIST. RPTR DID NOT KNOW THE FINAL OUTCOME, BUT STATED THAT THE FLT ATTENDANT INJURED WAS OVERWHELMED AT ARR WITH THE CHOICES SHE HAD TO MAKE CONCERNING THE INCIDENT, ONE OF WHICH WAS TO PERSONALLY PRESS CHARGES AGAINST THE PAX THAT ASSAULTED HER.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.