Narrative:

At departure time, flight attendant #5 informed me there was an unaccompanied suitcase sitting on the floor in front of row X. I took the suitcase to the agents at the gate in terminal. We verified that the suitcase belonged to one of our passenger sitting in economy row xx. It was an oversized 'rollaboard' and very heavy. Knowing it wouldn't fit in an overhead and that we were at departure, we checked the bag and I paged the name on the luggage tag. No response. The passenger was standing by her seat for the first time, demanding to know who took her luggage. I explained what had happened. She said that there were breakables inside and that it hadn't been locked. I suggested she check with the 2 agents, just in case it was still there. I began clearing my cabin and doing compliance checks, when she yelled out to me across the first class cabin that she wanted my name and that I would be held personally responsible for anything stolen or broken in her bag. She demanded my name and asked for my personal information. I told her we were past departure and that I would get her that information after takeoff. She didn't move. The 2 agents both insisted she step away from the door and be seated. As I walked over to 1R to arm it, passenger yelled out to me 'are you going to come over here today or sometime next week or what? Get over here now!' she was yelling loudly and verbally threatening me. I quickly walked over to her seat, without even giving a 'prepare for departure' to my crew as is procedure at door closure time because she was getting hysterical. I knelt down in front of her and wrote my name on a piece of paper. She insisted on my address as well. She began threatening me again about her checked luggage. I quietly said 'we're going to be on this flight for 5 1/2 hours, and you and I need to come to an understanding and a level of respect. Right now you are interfering with my departure duties as a flight attendant and purser. I'm sorry that you did not hear the page, but from this point on I have a responsibility to you and everyone else here today.' I excused myself and asked the captain to have her removed from the flight, because she continued to interfere with crew member duties and verbally threatened with no end in sight. The passenger service agent escorted her off. Much to our disbelief, we discovered that she was traveling with her 2 very young children who were both sitting alone in economy seats. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated that the agents were certain that the woman was on board (having remembered her rudeness), even though she hadn't responded to the purser's page, and they had seen no one get off the plane. That was why the purser decided to check the oversized bag in cargo. As it turned out, the woman had been in back of the plane with her children and claimed she didn't hear the page. The captain had heard the woman literally screaming at the purser and agreed to have the woman and children removed.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CABIN ATTENDANT RPT, B767-300, JFK-LAX, ON BOARDING, VERBALLY ABUSIVE PAX UPSET OVER CHKED LUGGAGE AND INTERFERED WITH PURSER'S DUTIES. CAPT HAD PAX REMOVED.

Narrative: AT DEP TIME, FLT ATTENDANT #5 INFORMED ME THERE WAS AN UNACCOMPANIED SUITCASE SITTING ON THE FLOOR IN FRONT OF ROW X. I TOOK THE SUITCASE TO THE AGENTS AT THE GATE IN TERMINAL. WE VERIFIED THAT THE SUITCASE BELONGED TO ONE OF OUR PAX SITTING IN ECONOMY ROW XX. IT WAS AN OVERSIZED 'ROLLABOARD' AND VERY HVY. KNOWING IT WOULDN'T FIT IN AN OVERHEAD AND THAT WE WERE AT DEP, WE CHKED THE BAG AND I PAGED THE NAME ON THE LUGGAGE TAG. NO RESPONSE. THE PAX WAS STANDING BY HER SEAT FOR THE FIRST TIME, DEMANDING TO KNOW WHO TOOK HER LUGGAGE. I EXPLAINED WHAT HAD HAPPENED. SHE SAID THAT THERE WERE BREAKABLES INSIDE AND THAT IT HADN'T BEEN LOCKED. I SUGGESTED SHE CHK WITH THE 2 AGENTS, JUST IN CASE IT WAS STILL THERE. I BEGAN CLRING MY CABIN AND DOING COMPLIANCE CHKS, WHEN SHE YELLED OUT TO ME ACROSS THE FIRST CLASS CABIN THAT SHE WANTED MY NAME AND THAT I WOULD BE HELD PERSONALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR ANYTHING STOLEN OR BROKEN IN HER BAG. SHE DEMANDED MY NAME AND ASKED FOR MY PERSONAL INFO. I TOLD HER WE WERE PAST DEP AND THAT I WOULD GET HER THAT INFO AFTER TKOF. SHE DIDN'T MOVE. THE 2 AGENTS BOTH INSISTED SHE STEP AWAY FROM THE DOOR AND BE SEATED. AS I WALKED OVER TO 1R TO ARM IT, PAX YELLED OUT TO ME 'ARE YOU GOING TO COME OVER HERE TODAY OR SOMETIME NEXT WK OR WHAT? GET OVER HERE NOW!' SHE WAS YELLING LOUDLY AND VERBALLY THREATENING ME. I QUICKLY WALKED OVER TO HER SEAT, WITHOUT EVEN GIVING A 'PREPARE FOR DEP' TO MY CREW AS IS PROC AT DOOR CLOSURE TIME BECAUSE SHE WAS GETTING HYSTERICAL. I KNELT DOWN IN FRONT OF HER AND WROTE MY NAME ON A PIECE OF PAPER. SHE INSISTED ON MY ADDRESS AS WELL. SHE BEGAN THREATENING ME AGAIN ABOUT HER CHKED LUGGAGE. I QUIETLY SAID 'WE'RE GOING TO BE ON THIS FLT FOR 5 1/2 HRS, AND YOU AND I NEED TO COME TO AN UNDERSTANDING AND A LEVEL OF RESPECT. RIGHT NOW YOU ARE INTERFERING WITH MY DEP DUTIES AS A FLT ATTENDANT AND PURSER. I'M SORRY THAT YOU DID NOT HEAR THE PAGE, BUT FROM THIS POINT ON I HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO YOU AND EVERYONE ELSE HERE TODAY.' I EXCUSED MYSELF AND ASKED THE CAPT TO HAVE HER REMOVED FROM THE FLT, BECAUSE SHE CONTINUED TO INTERFERE WITH CREW MEMBER DUTIES AND VERBALLY THREATENED WITH NO END IN SIGHT. THE PAX SVC AGENT ESCORTED HER OFF. MUCH TO OUR DISBELIEF, WE DISCOVERED THAT SHE WAS TRAVELING WITH HER 2 VERY YOUNG CHILDREN WHO WERE BOTH SITTING ALONE IN ECONOMY SEATS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT THE AGENTS WERE CERTAIN THAT THE WOMAN WAS ON BOARD (HAVING REMEMBERED HER RUDENESS), EVEN THOUGH SHE HADN'T RESPONDED TO THE PURSER'S PAGE, AND THEY HAD SEEN NO ONE GET OFF THE PLANE. THAT WAS WHY THE PURSER DECIDED TO CHK THE OVERSIZED BAG IN CARGO. AS IT TURNED OUT, THE WOMAN HAD BEEN IN BACK OF THE PLANE WITH HER CHILDREN AND CLAIMED SHE DIDN'T HEAR THE PAGE. THE CAPT HAD HEARD THE WOMAN LITERALLY SCREAMING AT THE PURSER AND AGREED TO HAVE THE WOMAN AND CHILDREN REMOVED.

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.