Narrative:

In conjunction with the enclosed report to airline, the 2 main issues that concern me and that I feel should be investigated are the 15 1/2 hour duty day that the cockpit and flight attendants worked, as well as the unsanitary conditions of an aircraft without any running water for approximately 7 1/2 hours that passenger were onboard. I was flight attendant #5 from jfk to pap on aug/xa/99. We arrived late from jfk. When we arrived in pap, we were informed that our aircraft was to be used for the pap-mia trip which had been delayed from the day prior. We had a decision on our aircraft of XA00 local time, awaiting parts and mechanics from mia. Once they arrived we went to the terminal to wait. During this time, we were told that if we left, we would not be catered -- no water would be added, and no ice would be brought on -- there would be no water in the lavatories as well. At approximately XA00, we all went back to the aircraft and began boarding about 15 mins later. Passenger were angry and frustrated when they came on, especially after they found out that there would be no catering or water onboard. They said they were not informed of this at all in the terminal. After all the passenger were onboard, we were told that we would be receiving sandwiches and sodas in a short while. A short time turned into a long time. Passenger starting hitting call lights, wanting to know how much longer. I was in the aft cabin with the 4L door still open with airstairs attached. At approximately XA00, about 2 hours after boarding, I saw a whole crowd of people standing and yelling inciting a riot. At that point, call lights were going off one after the other. At that point, I was feeling uneasy in the back of the plane, but the 4L door was still open, so I felt like I could still get out if I needed to. The shouting up front continued to worsen. I went into the cabin for a min to listen to a PA the captain was making, telling everyone to situation down or we weren't leaving until they did so. No one listened -- it only incited them further. When I returned to the rear, the 4L door was closed and stairs removed. The shouting was persistent with more people standing. At that point, I was feeling trapped and unsafe in the aft cabin. I decided to move up to the forward part of the aircraft, where I figured the rest of the crew was. I fought my way through the crowd, yelling, pushing and climbing over bags. I felt a little bit better once I was with the rest of the crew in the forward galley, closer to an open door. The captain was not doing much at this point to control the situation, except make loud remarks so that first class could hear, like 'if they can't take a joke, screw 'em.' the crowd did not relent. I expressed my feelings to the crew that I did not feel safe onboard the aircraft. Many others expressed the same. At this point the captain was on the megaphone -- telling everyone to calm down, that the food would be there any min. That seemed to get them even angrier. This went on for about 20 mins, when the purser said he no longer felt safe and was leaving the aircraft. At that point, I said, I no longer felt safe onboard and I told the crew and the captain that I was leaving. He was still talking on the megaphone and had no control over the situation. Flight attendant #2 and myself waited on the ramp by the gate area -- 3 other flight attendants came out also and said they did not feel safe on the aircraft (this all happened about XA30 local time). The flight attendants then came out, said it was still out of control onboard. The ground staff was trying to convince us to go back onboard so the flight could leave. A few mins later the captain made a plea to flight attendant #2 over the megaphone to return to the aircraft and speak with him -- we did not go back -- feeling it was still unsafe. Shortly after that another flight attendant came out and said it was a little better onboard. All but flight attendant #2 and myself returned to the aircraft. Everyone kept trying to convince us that it was safe. The door to the aircraft soon closed and stairs pulled away -- ready to depart. We were inside the terminal and asked for assistance in getting a hotel and transportation. About 10 mins later, a manager came and told flight attendant #2 that she was confident that it was safe for us to return. Flight attendant #2 had flown with her many times and trusted her judgement. At that point I decided it was not safe for me to stay in pap by myself and I opted to return to the aircraft. After I returned to the aircraft, flight attendant #5 told me that when the captain returned onboard after he tried to convince me and flight attendant #2 to return, he said in front of the crew and the first officer that, 'those two @#%^&$* $#%^*@# are staying.' I did not say anything to the captain about this statement or about anything else. I continued to perform my duties as a flight attendant throughout the remainder of the trip. The lavatories and the rear galley were disgusting and unsanitary -- there was no running water in the lavatories for the 3 1/2 hour flight to jfk, plus the 2 1/2 hours on the ground with passenger onboard. I feel that my safety and well being was compromised by air carrier X airlines, represented by captain and that I was viewed in a discriminatory fashion by air carrier X airlines in the comment expressed by captain. No further incident took place onboard the flight to jfk. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter said that the company has reviewed the case and has chosen not to do anything about it. The captain has denied ever calling them names. The reporter feels that this must violate public health laws and believes that it violated FARS. He feels that the whole situation was shoved underneath a rug and forgotten about. He said that the port au prince and santo domingo flts were notorious for the passenger getting out of control. He may try calling the public health board to get some action on the sanitary and safety issues involved. At the present time, he feels helpless to change the airline's policy of taking and accepting an airplane with no water on a long flight. The company told him that because there were a couple of bottles of water onboard, they considered it to have running water.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLT ATTENDANT RPT, A300, PORT AU PRINCE-JFK. AIRLINE AND THE CAPT ACCEPTED AN AIRPLANE WITH NO WATER AT ALL. PAX RIOTED AND WERE OUT OF CTL AFTER 3 HR DELAY.

Narrative: IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE ENCLOSED RPT TO AIRLINE, THE 2 MAIN ISSUES THAT CONCERN ME AND THAT I FEEL SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED ARE THE 15 1/2 HR DUTY DAY THAT THE COCKPIT AND FLT ATTENDANTS WORKED, AS WELL AS THE UNSANITARY CONDITIONS OF AN ACFT WITHOUT ANY RUNNING WATER FOR APPROX 7 1/2 HRS THAT PAX WERE ONBOARD. I WAS FLT ATTENDANT #5 FROM JFK TO PAP ON AUG/XA/99. WE ARRIVED LATE FROM JFK. WHEN WE ARRIVED IN PAP, WE WERE INFORMED THAT OUR ACFT WAS TO BE USED FOR THE PAP-MIA TRIP WHICH HAD BEEN DELAYED FROM THE DAY PRIOR. WE HAD A DECISION ON OUR ACFT OF XA00 LCL TIME, AWAITING PARTS AND MECHS FROM MIA. ONCE THEY ARRIVED WE WENT TO THE TERMINAL TO WAIT. DURING THIS TIME, WE WERE TOLD THAT IF WE LEFT, WE WOULD NOT BE CATERED -- NO WATER WOULD BE ADDED, AND NO ICE WOULD BE BROUGHT ON -- THERE WOULD BE NO WATER IN THE LAVATORIES AS WELL. AT APPROX XA00, WE ALL WENT BACK TO THE ACFT AND BEGAN BOARDING ABOUT 15 MINS LATER. PAX WERE ANGRY AND FRUSTRATED WHEN THEY CAME ON, ESPECIALLY AFTER THEY FOUND OUT THAT THERE WOULD BE NO CATERING OR WATER ONBOARD. THEY SAID THEY WERE NOT INFORMED OF THIS AT ALL IN THE TERMINAL. AFTER ALL THE PAX WERE ONBOARD, WE WERE TOLD THAT WE WOULD BE RECEIVING SANDWICHES AND SODAS IN A SHORT WHILE. A SHORT TIME TURNED INTO A LONG TIME. PAX STARTING HITTING CALL LIGHTS, WANTING TO KNOW HOW MUCH LONGER. I WAS IN THE AFT CABIN WITH THE 4L DOOR STILL OPEN WITH AIRSTAIRS ATTACHED. AT APPROX XA00, ABOUT 2 HRS AFTER BOARDING, I SAW A WHOLE CROWD OF PEOPLE STANDING AND YELLING INCITING A RIOT. AT THAT POINT, CALL LIGHTS WERE GOING OFF ONE AFTER THE OTHER. AT THAT POINT, I WAS FEELING UNEASY IN THE BACK OF THE PLANE, BUT THE 4L DOOR WAS STILL OPEN, SO I FELT LIKE I COULD STILL GET OUT IF I NEEDED TO. THE SHOUTING UP FRONT CONTINUED TO WORSEN. I WENT INTO THE CABIN FOR A MIN TO LISTEN TO A PA THE CAPT WAS MAKING, TELLING EVERYONE TO SIT DOWN OR WE WEREN'T LEAVING UNTIL THEY DID SO. NO ONE LISTENED -- IT ONLY INCITED THEM FURTHER. WHEN I RETURNED TO THE REAR, THE 4L DOOR WAS CLOSED AND STAIRS REMOVED. THE SHOUTING WAS PERSISTENT WITH MORE PEOPLE STANDING. AT THAT POINT, I WAS FEELING TRAPPED AND UNSAFE IN THE AFT CABIN. I DECIDED TO MOVE UP TO THE FORWARD PART OF THE ACFT, WHERE I FIGURED THE REST OF THE CREW WAS. I FOUGHT MY WAY THROUGH THE CROWD, YELLING, PUSHING AND CLBING OVER BAGS. I FELT A LITTLE BIT BETTER ONCE I WAS WITH THE REST OF THE CREW IN THE FORWARD GALLEY, CLOSER TO AN OPEN DOOR. THE CAPT WAS NOT DOING MUCH AT THIS POINT TO CTL THE SIT, EXCEPT MAKE LOUD REMARKS SO THAT FIRST CLASS COULD HEAR, LIKE 'IF THEY CAN'T TAKE A JOKE, SCREW 'EM.' THE CROWD DID NOT RELENT. I EXPRESSED MY FEELINGS TO THE CREW THAT I DID NOT FEEL SAFE ONBOARD THE ACFT. MANY OTHERS EXPRESSED THE SAME. AT THIS POINT THE CAPT WAS ON THE MEGAPHONE -- TELLING EVERYONE TO CALM DOWN, THAT THE FOOD WOULD BE THERE ANY MIN. THAT SEEMED TO GET THEM EVEN ANGRIER. THIS WENT ON FOR ABOUT 20 MINS, WHEN THE PURSER SAID HE NO LONGER FELT SAFE AND WAS LEAVING THE ACFT. AT THAT POINT, I SAID, I NO LONGER FELT SAFE ONBOARD AND I TOLD THE CREW AND THE CAPT THAT I WAS LEAVING. HE WAS STILL TALKING ON THE MEGAPHONE AND HAD NO CTL OVER THE SIT. FLT ATTENDANT #2 AND MYSELF WAITED ON THE RAMP BY THE GATE AREA -- 3 OTHER FLT ATTENDANTS CAME OUT ALSO AND SAID THEY DID NOT FEEL SAFE ON THE ACFT (THIS ALL HAPPENED ABOUT XA30 LCL TIME). THE FLT ATTENDANTS THEN CAME OUT, SAID IT WAS STILL OUT OF CTL ONBOARD. THE GND STAFF WAS TRYING TO CONVINCE US TO GO BACK ONBOARD SO THE FLT COULD LEAVE. A FEW MINS LATER THE CAPT MADE A PLEA TO FLT ATTENDANT #2 OVER THE MEGAPHONE TO RETURN TO THE ACFT AND SPEAK WITH HIM -- WE DID NOT GO BACK -- FEELING IT WAS STILL UNSAFE. SHORTLY AFTER THAT ANOTHER FLT ATTENDANT CAME OUT AND SAID IT WAS A LITTLE BETTER ONBOARD. ALL BUT FLT ATTENDANT #2 AND MYSELF RETURNED TO THE ACFT. EVERYONE KEPT TRYING TO CONVINCE US THAT IT WAS SAFE. THE DOOR TO THE ACFT SOON CLOSED AND STAIRS PULLED AWAY -- READY TO DEPART. WE WERE INSIDE THE TERMINAL AND ASKED FOR ASSISTANCE IN GETTING A HOTEL AND TRANSPORTATION. ABOUT 10 MINS LATER, A MGR CAME AND TOLD FLT ATTENDANT #2 THAT SHE WAS CONFIDENT THAT IT WAS SAFE FOR US TO RETURN. FLT ATTENDANT #2 HAD FLOWN WITH HER MANY TIMES AND TRUSTED HER JUDGEMENT. AT THAT POINT I DECIDED IT WAS NOT SAFE FOR ME TO STAY IN PAP BY MYSELF AND I OPTED TO RETURN TO THE ACFT. AFTER I RETURNED TO THE ACFT, FLT ATTENDANT #5 TOLD ME THAT WHEN THE CAPT RETURNED ONBOARD AFTER HE TRIED TO CONVINCE ME AND FLT ATTENDANT #2 TO RETURN, HE SAID IN FRONT OF THE CREW AND THE FO THAT, 'THOSE TWO @#%^&$* $#%^*@# ARE STAYING.' I DID NOT SAY ANYTHING TO THE CAPT ABOUT THIS STATEMENT OR ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE. I CONTINUED TO PERFORM MY DUTIES AS A FLT ATTENDANT THROUGHOUT THE REMAINDER OF THE TRIP. THE LAVATORIES AND THE REAR GALLEY WERE DISGUSTING AND UNSANITARY -- THERE WAS NO RUNNING WATER IN THE LAVATORIES FOR THE 3 1/2 HR FLT TO JFK, PLUS THE 2 1/2 HRS ON THE GND WITH PAX ONBOARD. I FEEL THAT MY SAFETY AND WELL BEING WAS COMPROMISED BY ACR X AIRLINES, REPRESENTED BY CAPT AND THAT I WAS VIEWED IN A DISCRIMINATORY FASHION BY ACR X AIRLINES IN THE COMMENT EXPRESSED BY CAPT. NO FURTHER INCIDENT TOOK PLACE ONBOARD THE FLT TO JFK. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR SAID THAT THE COMPANY HAS REVIEWED THE CASE AND HAS CHOSEN NOT TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. THE CAPT HAS DENIED EVER CALLING THEM NAMES. THE RPTR FEELS THAT THIS MUST VIOLATE PUBLIC HEALTH LAWS AND BELIEVES THAT IT VIOLATED FARS. HE FEELS THAT THE WHOLE SIT WAS SHOVED UNDERNEATH A RUG AND FORGOTTEN ABOUT. HE SAID THAT THE PORT AU PRINCE AND SANTO DOMINGO FLTS WERE NOTORIOUS FOR THE PAX GETTING OUT OF CTL. HE MAY TRY CALLING THE PUBLIC HEALTH BOARD TO GET SOME ACTION ON THE SANITARY AND SAFETY ISSUES INVOLVED. AT THE PRESENT TIME, HE FEELS HELPLESS TO CHANGE THE AIRLINE'S POLICY OF TAKING AND ACCEPTING AN AIRPLANE WITH NO WATER ON A LONG FLT. THE COMPANY TOLD HIM THAT BECAUSE THERE WERE A COUPLE OF BOTTLES OF WATER ONBOARD, THEY CONSIDERED IT TO HAVE RUNNING WATER.

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.