Narrative:

A passenger could not speak english and did not understand what the #1 flight attendant was talking about. A speaker flight attendant took his carry-on and put it away for landing, because the passenger could not keep his luggage under the seat. Passenger was seated by the window. Once, the speaker flight attendant put passenger luggage away, we thought everything was solved. But the #1 flight attendant insisted on calling the local auths, when I don't think it was necessary. Passenger was very pleasant to the rest of the crew and did not seem to be drunk at all. I believe, this whole situation with the local authority/authorized/police was totally unnecessary. What happened first, is that the passenger could not communicate well enough with the #1 flight attendant, and the flight attendant got offended and took it very personally. I agree with the flight attendant being frustrated with the passenger, because they had a communication barrier, but there was no need to involve the local auths. We could and we did handle the situation just fine even before we landed. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter, who was one of the 'language-qualified' flight attendants, said that the purser totally escalated the problem. The rest of the cabin crew was amazed at how irrational and upset the purser became, because the passenger was not disobeying an order to stow his luggage, but simply didn't understand the language. The reporter stated that the purser probably didn't know how serious it is to call auths in a south american country. The local police sequestered the captain, purser, and passenger in a windowless room for hours, surrounded by machine-gun toting policemen, answering questions. The reporter assumes the 'poor passenger' was jailed.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLT ATTENDANT RPT, B757, MIA-GYE, PURSER HAD PAX ARRESTED FOR NOT STOWING LUGGAGE, LANGUAGE BARRIER.

Narrative: A PAX COULD NOT SPEAK ENGLISH AND DID NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT THE #1 FLT ATTENDANT WAS TALKING ABOUT. A SPEAKER FLT ATTENDANT TOOK HIS CARRY-ON AND PUT IT AWAY FOR LNDG, BECAUSE THE PAX COULD NOT KEEP HIS LUGGAGE UNDER THE SEAT. PAX WAS SEATED BY THE WINDOW. ONCE, THE SPEAKER FLT ATTENDANT PUT PAX LUGGAGE AWAY, WE THOUGHT EVERYTHING WAS SOLVED. BUT THE #1 FLT ATTENDANT INSISTED ON CALLING THE LCL AUTHS, WHEN I DON'T THINK IT WAS NECESSARY. PAX WAS VERY PLEASANT TO THE REST OF THE CREW AND DID NOT SEEM TO BE DRUNK AT ALL. I BELIEVE, THIS WHOLE SIT WITH THE LCL AUTH/POLICE WAS TOTALLY UNNECESSARY. WHAT HAPPENED FIRST, IS THAT THE PAX COULD NOT COMMUNICATE WELL ENOUGH WITH THE #1 FLT ATTENDANT, AND THE FLT ATTENDANT GOT OFFENDED AND TOOK IT VERY PERSONALLY. I AGREE WITH THE FLT ATTENDANT BEING FRUSTRATED WITH THE PAX, BECAUSE THEY HAD A COM BARRIER, BUT THERE WAS NO NEED TO INVOLVE THE LCL AUTHS. WE COULD AND WE DID HANDLE THE SIT JUST FINE EVEN BEFORE WE LANDED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR, WHO WAS ONE OF THE 'LANGUAGE-QUALIFIED' FLT ATTENDANTS, SAID THAT THE PURSER TOTALLY ESCALATED THE PROB. THE REST OF THE CABIN CREW WAS AMAZED AT HOW IRRATIONAL AND UPSET THE PURSER BECAME, BECAUSE THE PAX WAS NOT DISOBEYING AN ORDER TO STOW HIS LUGGAGE, BUT SIMPLY DIDN'T UNDERSTAND THE LANGUAGE. THE RPTR STATED THAT THE PURSER PROBABLY DIDN'T KNOW HOW SERIOUS IT IS TO CALL AUTHS IN A SOUTH AMERICAN COUNTRY. THE LCL POLICE SEQUESTERED THE CAPT, PURSER, AND PAX IN A WINDOWLESS ROOM FOR HRS, SURROUNDED BY MACHINE-GUN TOTING POLICEMEN, ANSWERING QUESTIONS. THE RPTR ASSUMES THE 'POOR PAX' WAS JAILED.

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.