Narrative:

Shortly after takeoff, a passenger rang their flight attendant call light. I went to the passenger and they requested a blanket. As I worked aft/forward handing out the blankets, I got to row xx and a passenger asked me for a blanket. I conferred with the #3 flight attendant, and we both agreed there were no more. I apologized to the passenger. As I approached the last row, I saw a blanket behind the last row. I got the blanket. I stopped at the row X and told the female passenger I found a blanket in the back and gave it to her. I then proceeded to the G3 galley and while kneeling down beginning to stock the cart, a man, holding his arm extended upward with a clenched fist, was coming at me yelling. I later learned he was trying to describe his son's arm in a cast. I stood to hear him screaming 'the other flight attendant told us there were no more blankets, how dare you give out a blanket when we asked for one first.' as I was trying to explain to him and apologize, a woman came forward pushing him aside screaming about a $2000 ticket, that her son was 'deathly' ill, and pointing her index finger inches within my face, screaming 'you, find me a blanket and you find me one now!' a man at another row handed up his blanket to me and I offered it to the father. He grabbed the blanket and returning to their seats with hesitation, the 3, including the son, were screaming they would 'write us up,' 'metal plate in my arm,' 'how dare you treat us this way,' '$2000 ticket.' when I returned aft, I spoke with the #3 flight attendant and we decided because of their volatile behavior to give them the bottom portion of the passenger far violation report. I handed it to the woman and asked them to read it. I thought this might calm them down, as it had been stressed in our yrly emergency training procedures, which I had just attended. It instead, in my opinion, did the reverse. She said, 'how dare, how dare!' I told her nothing was being done at this time, but to please keep this notice in mind. As we headed out in the aisle, the woman came aft.she started yelling in the aisle. I moved the cart to allow her access and invited her to the aft galley. Here she went on about the '$2000 ticket,' 'her husband is a receiving an honor at university,' 'she is an rn,' 'we are civilized people,' 'how dare you do this to us.' she said she was writing us up and walked to her seat. She had also expressed interest in letting the captain know her side of the story. I told her I would inform him of the situation after the meal service and that although she couldn't talk to him in the air, she could meet with him on the ground in boston. After the meal service, I informed the captain so he would be prepared to get an earful on the ground. As I walked back to the main cabin, I stopped at the woman's seat and said 'I just wanted to let you know that I did inform the captain, so he is aware of the situation and you can feel free to speak with him on the ground in boston.' she replied with a smirk, 'well, I just called customer service and lodged a complaint against you.' I repeated 'that's fine ma'am, I'll also need to complete some paperwork about the incident,' and I walked aft to the galley. About 1 hour out from bos, a call light rang and the #3 flight attendant attended to it. It was the son, requesting a soda. Unfortunately, as some of our glasses do, the plastic had a hole in it. When she left the soda cup with him, it began to leak. As the #3 flight attendant was assisting another passenger, a call light went off and on, off and on, in rapid succession. I went to check on it immediately, believing it to be an emergency. The #3 flight attendant followed. As we approached, I noticed it was the son, using his arm with the cast. He began yelling at me, 'you stop laughing at me.' 'you purposely gave me a cup with a hole in it,' 'it's leaked all over me' (a small spill was on the tray table). The father handed me the cup. As I went back, immediately he grabbed the towels and I observed he wiped the spill up with his pillow. He screamed, as he threw the pillow at me, 'you get me a pillow now.'isaid, 'sir, there are no more.' he pointed to the man in row xx with a pillow by his head, 'you get the pillow from him and get it now' he screamed. I walked away and directly to the cockpit, where I, along with the #3 flight attendant, asked for assistance to meet the flight. By the time we left the cockpit, I didn't feel too confident that assistance was meeting the flight, so I asked the #1 flight attendant to call me and let me know if any passenger service reps were meeting the flight. We arrived in bos. The #1 flight attendant called and told me passenger service reps and a state trooper were at the door. He called back again and asked me if I wanted to press charges or they were leaving. I felt as if I were given an ultimatum -- press charges or there would be no one available to diffuse the situation. Since I felt they had continually harassed me for a 5 1/2 hour flight and I wanted them to be aware that their intimidation indeed had affected my job performance or, more seriously, may have affected had I been called upon to perform in an emergency or medical situation, I went forward with charges. I told my story to the state trooper. He began getting information from the 3 passenger as he asked me who I was pressing charges against. I replied all 3. Then the state trooper asked the captain if he was pressing charges since it was 'his ship and you have the final decision.' the captain declined because there had been no 'physical' threats or contact. The 3 were free to go.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AFTER TKOF ON BOARD B757, 3 PAX DISRUPT CABIN INFLT. FLC REQUESTED AUTHS MEET ACFT AT DEST.

Narrative: SHORTLY AFTER TKOF, A PAX RANG THEIR FLT ATTENDANT CALL LIGHT. I WENT TO THE PAX AND THEY REQUESTED A BLANKET. AS I WORKED AFT/FORWARD HANDING OUT THE BLANKETS, I GOT TO ROW XX AND A PAX ASKED ME FOR A BLANKET. I CONFERRED WITH THE #3 FLT ATTENDANT, AND WE BOTH AGREED THERE WERE NO MORE. I APOLOGIZED TO THE PAX. AS I APCHED THE LAST ROW, I SAW A BLANKET BEHIND THE LAST ROW. I GOT THE BLANKET. I STOPPED AT THE ROW X AND TOLD THE FEMALE PAX I FOUND A BLANKET IN THE BACK AND GAVE IT TO HER. I THEN PROCEEDED TO THE G3 GALLEY AND WHILE KNEELING DOWN BEGINNING TO STOCK THE CART, A MAN, HOLDING HIS ARM EXTENDED UPWARD WITH A CLENCHED FIST, WAS COMING AT ME YELLING. I LATER LEARNED HE WAS TRYING TO DESCRIBE HIS SON'S ARM IN A CAST. I STOOD TO HEAR HIM SCREAMING 'THE OTHER FLT ATTENDANT TOLD US THERE WERE NO MORE BLANKETS, HOW DARE YOU GIVE OUT A BLANKET WHEN WE ASKED FOR ONE FIRST.' AS I WAS TRYING TO EXPLAIN TO HIM AND APOLOGIZE, A WOMAN CAME FORWARD PUSHING HIM ASIDE SCREAMING ABOUT A $2000 TICKET, THAT HER SON WAS 'DEATHLY' ILL, AND POINTING HER INDEX FINGER INCHES WITHIN MY FACE, SCREAMING 'YOU, FIND ME A BLANKET AND YOU FIND ME ONE NOW!' A MAN AT ANOTHER ROW HANDED UP HIS BLANKET TO ME AND I OFFERED IT TO THE FATHER. HE GRABBED THE BLANKET AND RETURNING TO THEIR SEATS WITH HESITATION, THE 3, INCLUDING THE SON, WERE SCREAMING THEY WOULD 'WRITE US UP,' 'METAL PLATE IN MY ARM,' 'HOW DARE YOU TREAT US THIS WAY,' '$2000 TICKET.' WHEN I RETURNED AFT, I SPOKE WITH THE #3 FLT ATTENDANT AND WE DECIDED BECAUSE OF THEIR VOLATILE BEHAVIOR TO GIVE THEM THE BOTTOM PORTION OF THE PAX FAR VIOLATION RPT. I HANDED IT TO THE WOMAN AND ASKED THEM TO READ IT. I THOUGHT THIS MIGHT CALM THEM DOWN, AS IT HAD BEEN STRESSED IN OUR YRLY EMER TRAINING PROCS, WHICH I HAD JUST ATTENDED. IT INSTEAD, IN MY OPINION, DID THE REVERSE. SHE SAID, 'HOW DARE, HOW DARE!' I TOLD HER NOTHING WAS BEING DONE AT THIS TIME, BUT TO PLEASE KEEP THIS NOTICE IN MIND. AS WE HEADED OUT IN THE AISLE, THE WOMAN CAME AFT.SHE STARTED YELLING IN THE AISLE. I MOVED THE CART TO ALLOW HER ACCESS AND INVITED HER TO THE AFT GALLEY. HERE SHE WENT ON ABOUT THE '$2000 TICKET,' 'HER HUSBAND IS A RECEIVING AN HONOR AT UNIVERSITY,' 'SHE IS AN RN,' 'WE ARE CIVILIZED PEOPLE,' 'HOW DARE YOU DO THIS TO US.' SHE SAID SHE WAS WRITING US UP AND WALKED TO HER SEAT. SHE HAD ALSO EXPRESSED INTEREST IN LETTING THE CAPT KNOW HER SIDE OF THE STORY. I TOLD HER I WOULD INFORM HIM OF THE SIT AFTER THE MEAL SVC AND THAT ALTHOUGH SHE COULDN'T TALK TO HIM IN THE AIR, SHE COULD MEET WITH HIM ON THE GND IN BOSTON. AFTER THE MEAL SVC, I INFORMED THE CAPT SO HE WOULD BE PREPARED TO GET AN EARFUL ON THE GND. AS I WALKED BACK TO THE MAIN CABIN, I STOPPED AT THE WOMAN'S SEAT AND SAID 'I JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT I DID INFORM THE CAPT, SO HE IS AWARE OF THE SIT AND YOU CAN FEEL FREE TO SPEAK WITH HIM ON THE GND IN BOSTON.' SHE REPLIED WITH A SMIRK, 'WELL, I JUST CALLED CUSTOMER SVC AND LODGED A COMPLAINT AGAINST YOU.' I REPEATED 'THAT'S FINE MA'AM, I'LL ALSO NEED TO COMPLETE SOME PAPERWORK ABOUT THE INCIDENT,' AND I WALKED AFT TO THE GALLEY. ABOUT 1 HR OUT FROM BOS, A CALL LIGHT RANG AND THE #3 FLT ATTENDANT ATTENDED TO IT. IT WAS THE SON, REQUESTING A SODA. UNFORTUNATELY, AS SOME OF OUR GLASSES DO, THE PLASTIC HAD A HOLE IN IT. WHEN SHE LEFT THE SODA CUP WITH HIM, IT BEGAN TO LEAK. AS THE #3 FLT ATTENDANT WAS ASSISTING ANOTHER PAX, A CALL LIGHT WENT OFF AND ON, OFF AND ON, IN RAPID SUCCESSION. I WENT TO CHK ON IT IMMEDIATELY, BELIEVING IT TO BE AN EMER. THE #3 FLT ATTENDANT FOLLOWED. AS WE APCHED, I NOTICED IT WAS THE SON, USING HIS ARM WITH THE CAST. HE BEGAN YELLING AT ME, 'YOU STOP LAUGHING AT ME.' 'YOU PURPOSELY GAVE ME A CUP WITH A HOLE IN IT,' 'IT'S LEAKED ALL OVER ME' (A SMALL SPILL WAS ON THE TRAY TABLE). THE FATHER HANDED ME THE CUP. AS I WENT BACK, IMMEDIATELY HE GRABBED THE TOWELS AND I OBSERVED HE WIPED THE SPILL UP WITH HIS PILLOW. HE SCREAMED, AS HE THREW THE PILLOW AT ME, 'YOU GET ME A PILLOW NOW.'ISAID, 'SIR, THERE ARE NO MORE.' HE POINTED TO THE MAN IN ROW XX WITH A PILLOW BY HIS HEAD, 'YOU GET THE PILLOW FROM HIM AND GET IT NOW' HE SCREAMED. I WALKED AWAY AND DIRECTLY TO THE COCKPIT, WHERE I, ALONG WITH THE #3 FLT ATTENDANT, ASKED FOR ASSISTANCE TO MEET THE FLT. BY THE TIME WE LEFT THE COCKPIT, I DIDN'T FEEL TOO CONFIDENT THAT ASSISTANCE WAS MEETING THE FLT, SO I ASKED THE #1 FLT ATTENDANT TO CALL ME AND LET ME KNOW IF ANY PAX SVC REPS WERE MEETING THE FLT. WE ARRIVED IN BOS. THE #1 FLT ATTENDANT CALLED AND TOLD ME PAX SVC REPS AND A STATE TROOPER WERE AT THE DOOR. HE CALLED BACK AGAIN AND ASKED ME IF I WANTED TO PRESS CHARGES OR THEY WERE LEAVING. I FELT AS IF I WERE GIVEN AN ULTIMATUM -- PRESS CHARGES OR THERE WOULD BE NO ONE AVAILABLE TO DIFFUSE THE SIT. SINCE I FELT THEY HAD CONTINUALLY HARASSED ME FOR A 5 1/2 HR FLT AND I WANTED THEM TO BE AWARE THAT THEIR INTIMIDATION INDEED HAD AFFECTED MY JOB PERFORMANCE OR, MORE SERIOUSLY, MAY HAVE AFFECTED HAD I BEEN CALLED UPON TO PERFORM IN AN EMER OR MEDICAL SIT, I WENT FORWARD WITH CHARGES. I TOLD MY STORY TO THE STATE TROOPER. HE BEGAN GETTING INFO FROM THE 3 PAX AS HE ASKED ME WHO I WAS PRESSING CHARGES AGAINST. I REPLIED ALL 3. THEN THE STATE TROOPER ASKED THE CAPT IF HE WAS PRESSING CHARGES SINCE IT WAS 'HIS SHIP AND YOU HAVE THE FINAL DECISION.' THE CAPT DECLINED BECAUSE THERE HAD BEEN NO 'PHYSICAL' THREATS OR CONTACT. THE 3 WERE FREE TO GO.

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.