Narrative:

I was flight attendant on right side of business class, B767-300 aircraft. About 2 hours into the flight, I was in the business class service center when a woman from the left side of business class came into the service center and was complaining that she had paid full fare and only her husband and herself were allowed to situation in business class. She had 2 daughters. She was told the flight was full by all of us. It appeared at that time that her main concern was that her girls were put in the last row of coach and she wanted us to move the girls to business class. Of course we had no empty seats so we could not do it even if we wanted to. She went on and on, asking how they decide who will situation where. I believe she was an air carrier Y passenger as she kept saying how air carrier Y does it. She was told that with air carrier X, people can request their seat on first come first serve basis. No matter how many times the #4 flight attendant told her in easy-to-understand language, she kept asking why. I told her she should talk to the ticket agents when she gets off so they can explain why they do what they do. I left the business class service center. A while later she was back in business class service center. This time, her appearance looked different to me. Her eyes and her mannerism appeared as if she had too much to drink. She went back into her conversation about the fact she was a full paying passenger. (I am not sure what she meant, full fare business class or full fare second class with an upgrade.) she still wanted to know how we chose who would situation where. I left the business class service center. About 30-40 mins before we were to land in jfk, this woman came back to the business class service center again, and this time said someone told her that the man sitting next to her girls in the last row of coach was a jerk. I went back to coach and saw the man sitting there in the last row, left side on aisle. I looked him over good. He was not doing anything wrong at the time. His clothes were all intact. I made a point to look him over good. I then looked in the second class service center and asked flight attendant 'who told the mother that her girls were next to a jerk?' flight attendant just said that the man next to the girls was, at the beginning of the flight, being nasty by saying he did not like sitting next to children. Something like children are noisy. He was talking loud so he did not seem to care who heard it. He did not like all the noise. So she told the girls do not pay any attention to him, he is just a jerk. I told her that the mother came in the service center and told us that someone told her that her children were next to a jerk. They appeared by size to be at least 10 or 12 yrs old or so. I could not see their faces, as they were not looking in my direction. I cannot always tell by size, how old someone is. When I came back to the business class service center, a man and woman told me that had seen a man taken off flight xy by 3 policemen. They described his clothing and I went once again to check him out. They also said he had a hat on. He had on black jeans and white t-shirt with some circular writing on it. The mother was sitting next to the man now, with 1 girl on the opposite side of her. The mother next to the man had her back to him. I heard later in the van that the mother told the agent that the man had his pants unzipped. When I saw him the 2 times, he definitely had his pants zipped up. The people had heard all the goings on. Everyone was concerned that air carrier X took him off of one flight and put him on another air carrier X flight. I suspect the people caught up with the mother and told her the man was taken off a previous flight. What I think can be done to relieve existing problems of this sort: 1) this man should never have been allowed to get on another flight. His name should have been put in the computer immediately and an alert advisor put by his name. 2) I feel parents should always be made to buy tickets in the same cabin as their children and should situation with them. At least up to age 15. It should not be the responsibility of the flight attendants to judge who will get drunk and or from how many drinks. Someone please think about this: why does anyone need to have more than 2 drinks while in an airplane where you need to be in your seat? I see people drink 5 or 6 glasses of wine, one after another -- it is not always possible to tell by how they look if they could get out of an airplane in an emergency or not if they have had too many drinks. They are sitting down and who knows what will be their condition when they get up or in an emergency situation. I am a small woman, I could not drag a drunk adult out of an aircraft. There are far too many people who give bad attitudes to flight attendants in order to manipulate us to get a free whatever or upgrade and who will not comply with safety regulations. If the airlines would also stop making some people special and others obey the rules, it would be most helpful all around. While I have the opportunity and am on regulation subjects, the cell phone situation is also out of hand. Many people use their phones in the lavatories or even in their seats on the runway when flight attendants are in their jump seats and cannot see them. They also get on and pull out the phones while boarding because other airlines let them use the phones on the ground. They say it is a money thing with air carrier and not an FAA regulation or it would be so on all airlines. They resent it a lot. A PA should be made before people get on the aircraft in the boarding lounge, and still some folks may say they were in the restroom or whatever and never heard that. If you are going to call it an FAA rule, it needs to be consistent with other airlines. I was previously a health and safety representative for 4 yrs. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated that the information was hearsay about the man from 2 passenger sitting across from the galley, who heard the flight attendants talking with the woman. They thought he was the same man who had been escorted off by auths from another airplane earlier that day. The reporter stated that she thinks that the woman escalated the hearsay in order to get a free upgrade for her children.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLT ATTENDANT RPT, B767-300, LAX-JFK, WOMAN VERBALLY ABUSIVE TO FLT ATTENDANT, MAN VERBALLY ABUSIVE TO CHILDREN. SAFETY IMPROVEMENT SUGGESTION.

Narrative: I WAS FLT ATTENDANT ON R SIDE OF BUSINESS CLASS, B767-300 ACFT. ABOUT 2 HRS INTO THE FLT, I WAS IN THE BUSINESS CLASS SVC CTR WHEN A WOMAN FROM THE L SIDE OF BUSINESS CLASS CAME INTO THE SVC CTR AND WAS COMPLAINING THAT SHE HAD PAID FULL FARE AND ONLY HER HUSBAND AND HERSELF WERE ALLOWED TO SIT IN BUSINESS CLASS. SHE HAD 2 DAUGHTERS. SHE WAS TOLD THE FLT WAS FULL BY ALL OF US. IT APPEARED AT THAT TIME THAT HER MAIN CONCERN WAS THAT HER GIRLS WERE PUT IN THE LAST ROW OF COACH AND SHE WANTED US TO MOVE THE GIRLS TO BUSINESS CLASS. OF COURSE WE HAD NO EMPTY SEATS SO WE COULD NOT DO IT EVEN IF WE WANTED TO. SHE WENT ON AND ON, ASKING HOW THEY DECIDE WHO WILL SIT WHERE. I BELIEVE SHE WAS AN ACR Y PAX AS SHE KEPT SAYING HOW ACR Y DOES IT. SHE WAS TOLD THAT WITH ACR X, PEOPLE CAN REQUEST THEIR SEAT ON FIRST COME FIRST SERVE BASIS. NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES THE #4 FLT ATTENDANT TOLD HER IN EASY-TO-UNDERSTAND LANGUAGE, SHE KEPT ASKING WHY. I TOLD HER SHE SHOULD TALK TO THE TICKET AGENTS WHEN SHE GETS OFF SO THEY CAN EXPLAIN WHY THEY DO WHAT THEY DO. I LEFT THE BUSINESS CLASS SVC CTR. A WHILE LATER SHE WAS BACK IN BUSINESS CLASS SVC CTR. THIS TIME, HER APPEARANCE LOOKED DIFFERENT TO ME. HER EYES AND HER MANNERISM APPEARED AS IF SHE HAD TOO MUCH TO DRINK. SHE WENT BACK INTO HER CONVERSATION ABOUT THE FACT SHE WAS A FULL PAYING PAX. (I AM NOT SURE WHAT SHE MEANT, FULL FARE BUSINESS CLASS OR FULL FARE SECOND CLASS WITH AN UPGRADE.) SHE STILL WANTED TO KNOW HOW WE CHOSE WHO WOULD SIT WHERE. I LEFT THE BUSINESS CLASS SVC CTR. ABOUT 30-40 MINS BEFORE WE WERE TO LAND IN JFK, THIS WOMAN CAME BACK TO THE BUSINESS CLASS SVC CTR AGAIN, AND THIS TIME SAID SOMEONE TOLD HER THAT THE MAN SITTING NEXT TO HER GIRLS IN THE LAST ROW OF COACH WAS A JERK. I WENT BACK TO COACH AND SAW THE MAN SITTING THERE IN THE LAST ROW, L SIDE ON AISLE. I LOOKED HIM OVER GOOD. HE WAS NOT DOING ANYTHING WRONG AT THE TIME. HIS CLOTHES WERE ALL INTACT. I MADE A POINT TO LOOK HIM OVER GOOD. I THEN LOOKED IN THE SECOND CLASS SVC CTR AND ASKED FLT ATTENDANT 'WHO TOLD THE MOTHER THAT HER GIRLS WERE NEXT TO A JERK?' FLT ATTENDANT JUST SAID THAT THE MAN NEXT TO THE GIRLS WAS, AT THE BEGINNING OF THE FLT, BEING NASTY BY SAYING HE DID NOT LIKE SITTING NEXT TO CHILDREN. SOMETHING LIKE CHILDREN ARE NOISY. HE WAS TALKING LOUD SO HE DID NOT SEEM TO CARE WHO HEARD IT. HE DID NOT LIKE ALL THE NOISE. SO SHE TOLD THE GIRLS DO NOT PAY ANY ATTN TO HIM, HE IS JUST A JERK. I TOLD HER THAT THE MOTHER CAME IN THE SVC CTR AND TOLD US THAT SOMEONE TOLD HER THAT HER CHILDREN WERE NEXT TO A JERK. THEY APPEARED BY SIZE TO BE AT LEAST 10 OR 12 YRS OLD OR SO. I COULD NOT SEE THEIR FACES, AS THEY WERE NOT LOOKING IN MY DIRECTION. I CANNOT ALWAYS TELL BY SIZE, HOW OLD SOMEONE IS. WHEN I CAME BACK TO THE BUSINESS CLASS SVC CTR, A MAN AND WOMAN TOLD ME THAT HAD SEEN A MAN TAKEN OFF FLT XY BY 3 POLICEMEN. THEY DESCRIBED HIS CLOTHING AND I WENT ONCE AGAIN TO CHK HIM OUT. THEY ALSO SAID HE HAD A HAT ON. HE HAD ON BLACK JEANS AND WHITE T-SHIRT WITH SOME CIRCULAR WRITING ON IT. THE MOTHER WAS SITTING NEXT TO THE MAN NOW, WITH 1 GIRL ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF HER. THE MOTHER NEXT TO THE MAN HAD HER BACK TO HIM. I HEARD LATER IN THE VAN THAT THE MOTHER TOLD THE AGENT THAT THE MAN HAD HIS PANTS UNZIPPED. WHEN I SAW HIM THE 2 TIMES, HE DEFINITELY HAD HIS PANTS ZIPPED UP. THE PEOPLE HAD HEARD ALL THE GOINGS ON. EVERYONE WAS CONCERNED THAT ACR X TOOK HIM OFF OF ONE FLT AND PUT HIM ON ANOTHER ACR X FLT. I SUSPECT THE PEOPLE CAUGHT UP WITH THE MOTHER AND TOLD HER THE MAN WAS TAKEN OFF A PREVIOUS FLT. WHAT I THINK CAN BE DONE TO RELIEVE EXISTING PROBS OF THIS SORT: 1) THIS MAN SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO GET ON ANOTHER FLT. HIS NAME SHOULD HAVE BEEN PUT IN THE COMPUTER IMMEDIATELY AND AN ALERT ADVISOR PUT BY HIS NAME. 2) I FEEL PARENTS SHOULD ALWAYS BE MADE TO BUY TICKETS IN THE SAME CABIN AS THEIR CHILDREN AND SHOULD SIT WITH THEM. AT LEAST UP TO AGE 15. IT SHOULD NOT BE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE FLT ATTENDANTS TO JUDGE WHO WILL GET DRUNK AND OR FROM HOW MANY DRINKS. SOMEONE PLEASE THINK ABOUT THIS: WHY DOES ANYONE NEED TO HAVE MORE THAN 2 DRINKS WHILE IN AN AIRPLANE WHERE YOU NEED TO BE IN YOUR SEAT? I SEE PEOPLE DRINK 5 OR 6 GLASSES OF WINE, ONE AFTER ANOTHER -- IT IS NOT ALWAYS POSSIBLE TO TELL BY HOW THEY LOOK IF THEY COULD GET OUT OF AN AIRPLANE IN AN EMER OR NOT IF THEY HAVE HAD TOO MANY DRINKS. THEY ARE SITTING DOWN AND WHO KNOWS WHAT WILL BE THEIR CONDITION WHEN THEY GET UP OR IN AN EMER SIT. I AM A SMALL WOMAN, I COULD NOT DRAG A DRUNK ADULT OUT OF AN ACFT. THERE ARE FAR TOO MANY PEOPLE WHO GIVE BAD ATTITUDES TO FLT ATTENDANTS IN ORDER TO MANIPULATE US TO GET A FREE WHATEVER OR UPGRADE AND WHO WILL NOT COMPLY WITH SAFETY REGS. IF THE AIRLINES WOULD ALSO STOP MAKING SOME PEOPLE SPECIAL AND OTHERS OBEY THE RULES, IT WOULD BE MOST HELPFUL ALL AROUND. WHILE I HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY AND AM ON REGULATION SUBJECTS, THE CELL PHONE SIT IS ALSO OUT OF HAND. MANY PEOPLE USE THEIR PHONES IN THE LAVATORIES OR EVEN IN THEIR SEATS ON THE RWY WHEN FLT ATTENDANTS ARE IN THEIR JUMP SEATS AND CANNOT SEE THEM. THEY ALSO GET ON AND PULL OUT THE PHONES WHILE BOARDING BECAUSE OTHER AIRLINES LET THEM USE THE PHONES ON THE GND. THEY SAY IT IS A MONEY THING WITH ACR AND NOT AN FAA REG OR IT WOULD BE SO ON ALL AIRLINES. THEY RESENT IT A LOT. A PA SHOULD BE MADE BEFORE PEOPLE GET ON THE ACFT IN THE BOARDING LOUNGE, AND STILL SOME FOLKS MAY SAY THEY WERE IN THE RESTROOM OR WHATEVER AND NEVER HEARD THAT. IF YOU ARE GOING TO CALL IT AN FAA RULE, IT NEEDS TO BE CONSISTENT WITH OTHER AIRLINES. I WAS PREVIOUSLY A HEALTH AND SAFETY REPRESENTATIVE FOR 4 YRS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT THE INFO WAS HEARSAY ABOUT THE MAN FROM 2 PAX SITTING ACROSS FROM THE GALLEY, WHO HEARD THE FLT ATTENDANTS TALKING WITH THE WOMAN. THEY THOUGHT HE WAS THE SAME MAN WHO HAD BEEN ESCORTED OFF BY AUTHS FROM ANOTHER AIRPLANE EARLIER THAT DAY. THE RPTR STATED THAT SHE THINKS THAT THE WOMAN ESCALATED THE HEARSAY IN ORDER TO GET A FREE UPGRADE FOR HER CHILDREN.

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.