Narrative:

A passenger (directly involved) was seen drinking alcohol prior to boarding our flight (early morning). I was the flight attendant pulling fix in terminal prior to flight, and passenger admitted to me, with drink in hand, that he was drinking beer. I allowed him to board, because he was not acting inappropriately or strangely. The actual in-flight incident began during beverage/food service. I was between the beverage and meal carts, and flight attendant #2 was leading down the aisle, distributing breakfast meals on the aft end of the cart. I became aware of a negative verbal interaction between flight attendant #2 and this passenger. I overheard flight attendant #2 ask the passenger if he was threatening or challenging him. Flight attendant #2 moved on with the cart. Later on, flight attendant #2 explained to me that he asked the passenger to put his seat up slightly so that the passenger behind him could eat. The seat reclined very far back into the other passenger's lap and she had difficulty eating. The passenger in offense initially ignored the flight attendant's request, and then responded back defiantly, refused to move his seat and said 'leave me alone.' while picking up trash, after the service, I noticed the passenger go towards the back of the aircraft, near the lavatories. I followed in that direction to keep an eye on things, while continuing to pick up the trash. The other 2 flight attendants in coach were working in the aisle closer to the front. I did not notice whether this passenger actually utilized the lavatory, but I noticed he appeared to wait for the flight attendant #2 to come through the aisle before making his way back to his seat, as if looking for a confrontation. Upon encountering the flight attendant #2, they both tried to pass each other in the aisle, sideways, and the passenger appeared to intentionally bump the flight attendant in the chest. Negative verbalizations were again exchanged. The passenger said to flight attendant #2 'you're nothing but a waiter, I'm a lawyer, you need to show respect.' I approached and called flight attendant #2 to come back to the galley (to break up the interaction). At that point we informed the rest of the crew and the cockpit that this passenger was an escalating problem. (This same passenger responded in a hostile manner to me, as well, when serving beverages. He reluctantly took an orange juice, gulped it down and shoved the cup back at me. When asked to please hold it or place it on the floor until I came back with a trash bag, he threw it on the floor.) a passenger a few rows back called me over and said this passenger is a real problem. We saw him in the terminal and he was drinking alcohol. The crew filled out the appropriate safety papers, and flight attendant #2 gave the 'warning' form to the passenger. I watched, as the passenger took the form, glanced at it, and then crumpled it up and put it in the seat pocket. He kept to himself for the remainder of the flight, 'pretended' to be sleeping. I believe there are several factors which contributed to the problem and which can be changed to prevent future recurrences of similar incidences: 1) alcohol -- stricter rules regarding alcohol use and flying. 2) personal space violations -- research supports the need for personal space, and shows that increased negative behavior (including violence) occurs when personal space is violated. Our aircraft are getting too crowded -- too many seats in too little space. Add on too much carry-on luggage, and the stresses of air travel and you are lucky more fights don't occur. This flight crew did a great job at de-escalating a potentially physical situation. The passenger was a male, and the flight attendant most involved was a male. I believe we were very close to a physical fight in-flight. Flight attendant #2 and I were disappointed, however, that nothing was done with this passenger upon landing. No official warning, reprimand or punitive action was taken. We were informed that it has to get 'physical' for the officials to meet the airplane, but I thought we were supposed to try to avoid escalating the situation. This passenger verbally harassed the flight attendant #2 several times, he physically bumped him, andhe was seen drinking by me (flight attendant #4) preboarding and by passenger in the terminal. We believe some type of action should have been taken, because now this passenger thinks he can act this way and get away with it. And the way the rules are now, I guess he can. This did not make our crew feel very safe or supported.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLT ATTENDANT RPT ON B727 PHL-MIA OF INTOXICATED, VERBALLY ABUSIVE PAX. ALCOHOL AND CRAMPED SEATING BLAMED.

Narrative: A PAX (DIRECTLY INVOLVED) WAS SEEN DRINKING ALCOHOL PRIOR TO BOARDING OUR FLT (EARLY MORNING). I WAS THE FLT ATTENDANT PULLING FIX IN TERMINAL PRIOR TO FLT, AND PAX ADMITTED TO ME, WITH DRINK IN HAND, THAT HE WAS DRINKING BEER. I ALLOWED HIM TO BOARD, BECAUSE HE WAS NOT ACTING INAPPROPRIATELY OR STRANGELY. THE ACTUAL INFLT INCIDENT BEGAN DURING BEVERAGE/FOOD SVC. I WAS BTWN THE BEVERAGE AND MEAL CARTS, AND FLT ATTENDANT #2 WAS LEADING DOWN THE AISLE, DISTRIBUTING BREAKFAST MEALS ON THE AFT END OF THE CART. I BECAME AWARE OF A NEGATIVE VERBAL INTERACTION BTWN FLT ATTENDANT #2 AND THIS PAX. I OVERHEARD FLT ATTENDANT #2 ASK THE PAX IF HE WAS THREATENING OR CHALLENGING HIM. FLT ATTENDANT #2 MOVED ON WITH THE CART. LATER ON, FLT ATTENDANT #2 EXPLAINED TO ME THAT HE ASKED THE PAX TO PUT HIS SEAT UP SLIGHTLY SO THAT THE PAX BEHIND HIM COULD EAT. THE SEAT RECLINED VERY FAR BACK INTO THE OTHER PAX'S LAP AND SHE HAD DIFFICULTY EATING. THE PAX IN OFFENSE INITIALLY IGNORED THE FLT ATTENDANT'S REQUEST, AND THEN RESPONDED BACK DEFIANTLY, REFUSED TO MOVE HIS SEAT AND SAID 'LEAVE ME ALONE.' WHILE PICKING UP TRASH, AFTER THE SVC, I NOTICED THE PAX GO TOWARDS THE BACK OF THE ACFT, NEAR THE LAVATORIES. I FOLLOWED IN THAT DIRECTION TO KEEP AN EYE ON THINGS, WHILE CONTINUING TO PICK UP THE TRASH. THE OTHER 2 FLT ATTENDANTS IN COACH WERE WORKING IN THE AISLE CLOSER TO THE FRONT. I DID NOT NOTICE WHETHER THIS PAX ACTUALLY UTILIZED THE LAVATORY, BUT I NOTICED HE APPEARED TO WAIT FOR THE FLT ATTENDANT #2 TO COME THROUGH THE AISLE BEFORE MAKING HIS WAY BACK TO HIS SEAT, AS IF LOOKING FOR A CONFRONTATION. UPON ENCOUNTERING THE FLT ATTENDANT #2, THEY BOTH TRIED TO PASS EACH OTHER IN THE AISLE, SIDEWAYS, AND THE PAX APPEARED TO INTENTIONALLY BUMP THE FLT ATTENDANT IN THE CHEST. NEGATIVE VERBALIZATIONS WERE AGAIN EXCHANGED. THE PAX SAID TO FLT ATTENDANT #2 'YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A WAITER, I'M A LAWYER, YOU NEED TO SHOW RESPECT.' I APCHED AND CALLED FLT ATTENDANT #2 TO COME BACK TO THE GALLEY (TO BREAK UP THE INTERACTION). AT THAT POINT WE INFORMED THE REST OF THE CREW AND THE COCKPIT THAT THIS PAX WAS AN ESCALATING PROB. (THIS SAME PAX RESPONDED IN A HOSTILE MANNER TO ME, AS WELL, WHEN SERVING BEVERAGES. HE RELUCTANTLY TOOK AN ORANGE JUICE, GULPED IT DOWN AND SHOVED THE CUP BACK AT ME. WHEN ASKED TO PLEASE HOLD IT OR PLACE IT ON THE FLOOR UNTIL I CAME BACK WITH A TRASH BAG, HE THREW IT ON THE FLOOR.) A PAX A FEW ROWS BACK CALLED ME OVER AND SAID THIS PAX IS A REAL PROB. WE SAW HIM IN THE TERMINAL AND HE WAS DRINKING ALCOHOL. THE CREW FILLED OUT THE APPROPRIATE SAFETY PAPERS, AND FLT ATTENDANT #2 GAVE THE 'WARNING' FORM TO THE PAX. I WATCHED, AS THE PAX TOOK THE FORM, GLANCED AT IT, AND THEN CRUMPLED IT UP AND PUT IT IN THE SEAT POCKET. HE KEPT TO HIMSELF FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE FLT, 'PRETENDED' TO BE SLEEPING. I BELIEVE THERE ARE SEVERAL FACTORS WHICH CONTRIBUTED TO THE PROB AND WHICH CAN BE CHANGED TO PREVENT FUTURE RECURRENCES OF SIMILAR INCIDENCES: 1) ALCOHOL -- STRICTER RULES REGARDING ALCOHOL USE AND FLYING. 2) PERSONAL SPACE VIOLATIONS -- RESEARCH SUPPORTS THE NEED FOR PERSONAL SPACE, AND SHOWS THAT INCREASED NEGATIVE BEHAVIOR (INCLUDING VIOLENCE) OCCURS WHEN PERSONAL SPACE IS VIOLATED. OUR ACFT ARE GETTING TOO CROWDED -- TOO MANY SEATS IN TOO LITTLE SPACE. ADD ON TOO MUCH CARRY-ON LUGGAGE, AND THE STRESSES OF AIR TRAVEL AND YOU ARE LUCKY MORE FIGHTS DON'T OCCUR. THIS FLC DID A GREAT JOB AT DE-ESCALATING A POTENTIALLY PHYSICAL SIT. THE PAX WAS A MALE, AND THE FLT ATTENDANT MOST INVOLVED WAS A MALE. I BELIEVE WE WERE VERY CLOSE TO A PHYSICAL FIGHT INFLT. FLT ATTENDANT #2 AND I WERE DISAPPOINTED, HOWEVER, THAT NOTHING WAS DONE WITH THIS PAX UPON LNDG. NO OFFICIAL WARNING, REPRIMAND OR PUNITIVE ACTION WAS TAKEN. WE WERE INFORMED THAT IT HAS TO GET 'PHYSICAL' FOR THE OFFICIALS TO MEET THE AIRPLANE, BUT I THOUGHT WE WERE SUPPOSED TO TRY TO AVOID ESCALATING THE SIT. THIS PAX VERBALLY HARASSED THE FLT ATTENDANT #2 SEVERAL TIMES, HE PHYSICALLY BUMPED HIM, ANDHE WAS SEEN DRINKING BY ME (FLT ATTENDANT #4) PREBOARDING AND BY PAX IN THE TERMINAL. WE BELIEVE SOME TYPE OF ACTION SHOULD HAVE BEEN TAKEN, BECAUSE NOW THIS PAX THINKS HE CAN ACT THIS WAY AND GET AWAY WITH IT. AND THE WAY THE RULES ARE NOW, I GUESS HE CAN. THIS DID NOT MAKE OUR CREW FEEL VERY SAFE OR SUPPORTED.

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.