Narrative:

A female passenger in mid-cabin caused disturbances during boarding making remarks about other passenger and became increasingly irrational during flight. Other mid-cabin flight attendants told me that she had been physically abusive towards other passenger and flight attendants, throwing things and hitting, kicking, scratching, etc, also verbally abusive. I saw her being restrained by other flight attendants, stopping her arms and legs from hitting and kicking. Eventually she was carried off to first class and restrained to a first class seat, but the handcuffs weren't able to hold her properly, so she had to be watched at all times by our male flight attendants, who were also trying to calm her unsuccessfully. She was completely irrational, at times violent, at times crying and not in understanding of what's going on. The situation remained volatile for quite a while, putting flight attendants and passenger at risk and subject to this woman's abusive behavior. The passenger was boarded intoxicated and already on the ground behaving in an inappropriate manner. We need better coordination between ground staff and crew to deny boarding in similar cases. She was served alcohol during flight and certainly it made matters worse. As a flight attendant I would like to feel more comfortable in denying a passenger any drinks or limit their drinking and have strong authority/authorized (forms to show them that I have that right or something similar) behind my decision and not have to argue with them for hours and put up with their verbal abuse. In this case we had an empty first class to move her to but what could we have done on a full load? I moved other passenger away from her but if we had been full that wouldn't have been possible either. Decision to do something to protect the crew and other passenger would have more urgent, even in this case several flight attendants received minor injuries such as kicks, etc. Restraints were not sufficient in quantity and did not do the job. She was able to get free of them several times. We had no proper means of restraining her to her seat. We used seat harnesses, seat belt extensions, etc. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter states that the flight diverted to montreal instead of continuing to ord. The passenger was removed by 3 burly men and was still fighting all the time. It was stated that she would never be allowed on the air carrier again, but 2 weeks later the flight attendant saw her boarding a return flight to stockholm. The captain was very cooperative and in fact insisted that the first class curtains remain open so that all passenger could see the passenger removal and be aware of why the diversion was necessary. Reporter stated that there was great concern that the passenger might have had a lighter in her possession. Had she started waving that around this could have been a much more dangerous situation. Reporter said that numerous european carriers are using breathalyzer tests on passenger who appear to be intoxicated. They are not allowed boarding if they fail the test. Reporter feels this would be a great help for such passenger problems in the united states. Reporter would also like the company to support them in restricting the number of alcoholic drinks served to passenger on international flts instead of having it free flowing.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CABIN ATTENDANT RPT REGARDING A FLT ON WHICH A PAX WAS EXTREMELY VOLATILE AND HAD TO BE RESTRAINED. THE RESTRAINTS DID NOT DO THE JOB AND THE PAX WAS MOVED AND RESTRAINED IN HER SEAT UNDER THE CONSTANT WATCH OF THE CABIN ATTENDANTS. THE FLT DIVERTED TO MONTREAL.

Narrative: A FEMALE PAX IN MID-CABIN CAUSED DISTURBANCES DURING BOARDING MAKING REMARKS ABOUT OTHER PAX AND BECAME INCREASINGLY IRRATIONAL DURING FLT. OTHER MID-CABIN FLT ATTENDANTS TOLD ME THAT SHE HAD BEEN PHYSICALLY ABUSIVE TOWARDS OTHER PAX AND FLT ATTENDANTS, THROWING THINGS AND HITTING, KICKING, SCRATCHING, ETC, ALSO VERBALLY ABUSIVE. I SAW HER BEING RESTRAINED BY OTHER FLT ATTENDANTS, STOPPING HER ARMS AND LEGS FROM HITTING AND KICKING. EVENTUALLY SHE WAS CARRIED OFF TO FIRST CLASS AND RESTRAINED TO A FIRST CLASS SEAT, BUT THE HANDCUFFS WEREN'T ABLE TO HOLD HER PROPERLY, SO SHE HAD TO BE WATCHED AT ALL TIMES BY OUR MALE FLT ATTENDANTS, WHO WERE ALSO TRYING TO CALM HER UNSUCCESSFULLY. SHE WAS COMPLETELY IRRATIONAL, AT TIMES VIOLENT, AT TIMES CRYING AND NOT IN UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT'S GOING ON. THE SIT REMAINED VOLATILE FOR QUITE A WHILE, PUTTING FLT ATTENDANTS AND PAX AT RISK AND SUBJECT TO THIS WOMAN'S ABUSIVE BEHAVIOR. THE PAX WAS BOARDED INTOXICATED AND ALREADY ON THE GND BEHAVING IN AN INAPPROPRIATE MANNER. WE NEED BETTER COORD BTWN GND STAFF AND CREW TO DENY BOARDING IN SIMILAR CASES. SHE WAS SERVED ALCOHOL DURING FLT AND CERTAINLY IT MADE MATTERS WORSE. AS A FLT ATTENDANT I WOULD LIKE TO FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE IN DENYING A PAX ANY DRINKS OR LIMIT THEIR DRINKING AND HAVE STRONG AUTH (FORMS TO SHOW THEM THAT I HAVE THAT RIGHT OR SOMETHING SIMILAR) BEHIND MY DECISION AND NOT HAVE TO ARGUE WITH THEM FOR HRS AND PUT UP WITH THEIR VERBAL ABUSE. IN THIS CASE WE HAD AN EMPTY FIRST CLASS TO MOVE HER TO BUT WHAT COULD WE HAVE DONE ON A FULL LOAD? I MOVED OTHER PAX AWAY FROM HER BUT IF WE HAD BEEN FULL THAT WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE EITHER. DECISION TO DO SOMETHING TO PROTECT THE CREW AND OTHER PAX WOULD HAVE MORE URGENT, EVEN IN THIS CASE SEVERAL FLT ATTENDANTS RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES SUCH AS KICKS, ETC. RESTRAINTS WERE NOT SUFFICIENT IN QUANTITY AND DID NOT DO THE JOB. SHE WAS ABLE TO GET FREE OF THEM SEVERAL TIMES. WE HAD NO PROPER MEANS OF RESTRAINING HER TO HER SEAT. WE USED SEAT HARNESSES, SEAT BELT EXTENSIONS, ETC. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES THAT THE FLT DIVERTED TO MONTREAL INSTEAD OF CONTINUING TO ORD. THE PAX WAS REMOVED BY 3 BURLY MEN AND WAS STILL FIGHTING ALL THE TIME. IT WAS STATED THAT SHE WOULD NEVER BE ALLOWED ON THE ACR AGAIN, BUT 2 WKS LATER THE FLT ATTENDANT SAW HER BOARDING A RETURN FLT TO STOCKHOLM. THE CAPT WAS VERY COOPERATIVE AND IN FACT INSISTED THAT THE FIRST CLASS CURTAINS REMAIN OPEN SO THAT ALL PAX COULD SEE THE PAX REMOVAL AND BE AWARE OF WHY THE DIVERSION WAS NECESSARY. RPTR STATED THAT THERE WAS GREAT CONCERN THAT THE PAX MIGHT HAVE HAD A LIGHTER IN HER POSSESSION. HAD SHE STARTED WAVING THAT AROUND THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A MUCH MORE DANGEROUS SIT. RPTR SAID THAT NUMEROUS EUROPEAN CARRIERS ARE USING BREATHALYZER TESTS ON PAX WHO APPEAR TO BE INTOXICATED. THEY ARE NOT ALLOWED BOARDING IF THEY FAIL THE TEST. RPTR FEELS THIS WOULD BE A GREAT HELP FOR SUCH PAX PROBS IN THE UNITED STATES. RPTR WOULD ALSO LIKE THE COMPANY TO SUPPORT THEM IN RESTRICTING THE NUMBER OF ALCOHOLIC DRINKS SERVED TO PAX ON INTL FLTS INSTEAD OF HAVING IT FREE FLOWING.

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.