Narrative:

Mr X boarded and moved our 'demonstration bag' according to flight attendant #2. When she told him he could not move it, he yelled at her about how we needed to move our things in the overhead bin to accommodate him. She reported his yelling about this and not being allowed to leave his carry-on's against the bulkhead to me before takeoff. She was near tears and had to retreat to the aft of the cabin to regain her composure. During the flight, he had several non safety related complaints, so by the time we were preparing for landing, flight attendant #2 asked me to tell mr X to put his carry-on's, which were again on the floor against the bulkhead, in an overhead bin. As soon as I asked him to put the carry-on's away, he told me I should do it, that the other flight attendant had done it for him. I responded that the previous day I had pulled a muscle in my back and could not risk lifting his bags and further injuring my back. (Since all flight attendants know that our medical insurance will not cover back injuries caused by lifting bags of passenger.) mr X began to yell, and to be honest, I don't remember all that he said. I do remember something about him being the customer and when he tells me to do something I should do it! At that point, I told him we are getting ready to land and I don't have time for a lecture from him. I tried to continue on doing a safety check, but he kept yelling. I turned around and told him, again, that we were getting ready to land and I wasn't going to fight with him. I, once again, tried to continue doing a safety check when he got out of his seat, came chasing me down the aisle, screaming and shaking his finger at me. At that point, I warned him that if he didn't situation down and leave me alone, I would have him arrested. He kept yelling and shaking his finger and I told him 'that's it' and practically ran back to my jump seat. I did not do a safety compliance check. I had such a fear response from this man's actions, that I was shaking and out of breath. If we had experienced any kind of emergency on landing, I would have been way below optimal performance level. This man was not arrested because the police officer advised us not to press charges. He felt that mr X and/or his wife were dropping hints about having a 'heart attack' if they were arrested. Perhaps they would sue, etc. Mr X attempted an apology, but did not strike me as sincere. More importantly, I do not believe he has any understanding of how his interference and threatening behavior could have impacted other passenger safety.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLT ATTENDANT RPT REGARDING AN S80 FLT ON WHICH A PAX BECAME VERY DISRUPTIVE AND REFUSED TO COMPLY WITH FARS. HE THREATENED THE FLT ATTENDANT AND CHASED HER DOWN THE AISLE. POLICE WERE CALLED.

Narrative: MR X BOARDED AND MOVED OUR 'DEMO BAG' ACCORDING TO FLT ATTENDANT #2. WHEN SHE TOLD HIM HE COULD NOT MOVE IT, HE YELLED AT HER ABOUT HOW WE NEEDED TO MOVE OUR THINGS IN THE OVERHEAD BIN TO ACCOMMODATE HIM. SHE RPTED HIS YELLING ABOUT THIS AND NOT BEING ALLOWED TO LEAVE HIS CARRY-ON'S AGAINST THE BULKHEAD TO ME BEFORE TKOF. SHE WAS NEAR TEARS AND HAD TO RETREAT TO THE AFT OF THE CABIN TO REGAIN HER COMPOSURE. DURING THE FLT, HE HAD SEVERAL NON SAFETY RELATED COMPLAINTS, SO BY THE TIME WE WERE PREPARING FOR LNDG, FLT ATTENDANT #2 ASKED ME TO TELL MR X TO PUT HIS CARRY-ON'S, WHICH WERE AGAIN ON THE FLOOR AGAINST THE BULKHEAD, IN AN OVERHEAD BIN. AS SOON AS I ASKED HIM TO PUT THE CARRY-ON'S AWAY, HE TOLD ME I SHOULD DO IT, THAT THE OTHER FLT ATTENDANT HAD DONE IT FOR HIM. I RESPONDED THAT THE PREVIOUS DAY I HAD PULLED A MUSCLE IN MY BACK AND COULD NOT RISK LIFTING HIS BAGS AND FURTHER INJURING MY BACK. (SINCE ALL FLT ATTENDANTS KNOW THAT OUR MEDICAL INSURANCE WILL NOT COVER BACK INJURIES CAUSED BY LIFTING BAGS OF PAX.) MR X BEGAN TO YELL, AND TO BE HONEST, I DON'T REMEMBER ALL THAT HE SAID. I DO REMEMBER SOMETHING ABOUT HIM BEING THE CUSTOMER AND WHEN HE TELLS ME TO DO SOMETHING I SHOULD DO IT! AT THAT POINT, I TOLD HIM WE ARE GETTING READY TO LAND AND I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR A LECTURE FROM HIM. I TRIED TO CONTINUE ON DOING A SAFETY CHK, BUT HE KEPT YELLING. I TURNED AROUND AND TOLD HIM, AGAIN, THAT WE WERE GETTING READY TO LAND AND I WASN'T GOING TO FIGHT WITH HIM. I, ONCE AGAIN, TRIED TO CONTINUE DOING A SAFETY CHK WHEN HE GOT OUT OF HIS SEAT, CAME CHASING ME DOWN THE AISLE, SCREAMING AND SHAKING HIS FINGER AT ME. AT THAT POINT, I WARNED HIM THAT IF HE DIDN'T SIT DOWN AND LEAVE ME ALONE, I WOULD HAVE HIM ARRESTED. HE KEPT YELLING AND SHAKING HIS FINGER AND I TOLD HIM 'THAT'S IT' AND PRACTICALLY RAN BACK TO MY JUMP SEAT. I DID NOT DO A SAFETY COMPLIANCE CHK. I HAD SUCH A FEAR RESPONSE FROM THIS MAN'S ACTIONS, THAT I WAS SHAKING AND OUT OF BREATH. IF WE HAD EXPERIENCED ANY KIND OF EMER ON LNDG, I WOULD HAVE BEEN WAY BELOW OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE LEVEL. THIS MAN WAS NOT ARRESTED BECAUSE THE POLICE OFFICER ADVISED US NOT TO PRESS CHARGES. HE FELT THAT MR X AND/OR HIS WIFE WERE DROPPING HINTS ABOUT HAVING A 'HEART ATTACK' IF THEY WERE ARRESTED. PERHAPS THEY WOULD SUE, ETC. MR X ATTEMPTED AN APOLOGY, BUT DID NOT STRIKE ME AS SINCERE. MORE IMPORTANTLY, I DO NOT BELIEVE HE HAS ANY UNDERSTANDING OF HOW HIS INTERFERENCE AND THREATENING BEHAVIOR COULD HAVE IMPACTED OTHER PAX SAFETY.

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.