Narrative:

I was purser and in first class. My co-worker, flight attendant #2 mentioned after boarding, that we had a woman onboard who appeared unstable emotionally. He checked her after she got seated and we decided she was okay, just a little over excited. Well, soon after takeoff the flight attendants in coach called and said the woman was causing disturbances among all those seated around her -- loud talk, vulgar language, shaking fingers in kids faces for making noise, etc. We kept an eye on her and it got worse. She then was bragging that she was smoking in the lavatory. We did not smell smoke in the lavatory and decided she was bluffing. Next, she proceeded to tell one of the flight attendants where to go and that he was her 'employee' and would serve her. During the commotion, during which the passenger are saying you better do something about her, they were all getting fed up with her annoying behavior, we notified the captain that we had an escalating situation and may need auths to meet the flight before a brawl broke out. The captain radioed ahead for our airline security to meet the flight and talk to the woman. No security was available, and no fbi, so the local police were waiting for us on the jetbridge. The problem was that they said they could not board the airplane armed, so a male ground personnel (baggage handler, or agent) came onboard and escorted her off. She put on her sunglasses (it was midnight) and walked off nonchalantly. Once in the terminal (we had to say we would press charges before they would even talk to her), she broke down crying and apologizing profusely. The crew all gathered after deplaning and she pleaded ignorance. We decided not to press charges and let her go. Bottom line is we would have preferred to have our airline security talk to her and explain she would be unable to fly on our airline again, or something like that. We didn't necessarily want to put her in jail, but there needs to be an in-between threat to passenger who cause such a disruption in-flight. There were a lot of upset passenger on this flight. They actually applauded when she was taken away. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated that the woman verbally attached every person, including children, as they passed her seat. The rest of the passenger were ready to 'kill' if something wasn't done about her. When they arrived in sju, the police said they couldn't come on board and get her, because that was the FAA's and fbi's territory, so that's when the baggage handler physically took her off. The other passenger cheered as she was led off. The reason their own airline security didn't meet the flight was that it was after midnight and no one was around. After the police interrogated her, she asked to see the crew to apologize and beg their forgiveness. The crew didn't press charges, because alcohol was not a factor and she didn't hurt anyone. She was just a 'mental' case and needed psychiatric help. However, she still shouldn't be allowed to travel on any airline.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CABIN ATTENDANT RPT, B757, JFK-SJU. MENTALLY UNSTABLE WOMAN DISRUPTED FLT, NEARLY CAUSING A RIOT. POLICE MET FLT. CREW DIDN'T PRESS CHARGES DUE TO NO ALCOHOL INVOLVED.

Narrative: I WAS PURSER AND IN FIRST CLASS. MY CO-WORKER, FLT ATTENDANT #2 MENTIONED AFTER BOARDING, THAT WE HAD A WOMAN ONBOARD WHO APPEARED UNSTABLE EMOTIONALLY. HE CHKED HER AFTER SHE GOT SEATED AND WE DECIDED SHE WAS OKAY, JUST A LITTLE OVER EXCITED. WELL, SOON AFTER TKOF THE FLT ATTENDANTS IN COACH CALLED AND SAID THE WOMAN WAS CAUSING DISTURBANCES AMONG ALL THOSE SEATED AROUND HER -- LOUD TALK, VULGAR LANGUAGE, SHAKING FINGERS IN KIDS FACES FOR MAKING NOISE, ETC. WE KEPT AN EYE ON HER AND IT GOT WORSE. SHE THEN WAS BRAGGING THAT SHE WAS SMOKING IN THE LAVATORY. WE DID NOT SMELL SMOKE IN THE LAVATORY AND DECIDED SHE WAS BLUFFING. NEXT, SHE PROCEEDED TO TELL ONE OF THE FLT ATTENDANTS WHERE TO GO AND THAT HE WAS HER 'EMPLOYEE' AND WOULD SERVE HER. DURING THE COMMOTION, DURING WHICH THE PAX ARE SAYING YOU BETTER DO SOMETHING ABOUT HER, THEY WERE ALL GETTING FED UP WITH HER ANNOYING BEHAVIOR, WE NOTIFIED THE CAPT THAT WE HAD AN ESCALATING SIT AND MAY NEED AUTHS TO MEET THE FLT BEFORE A BRAWL BROKE OUT. THE CAPT RADIOED AHEAD FOR OUR AIRLINE SECURITY TO MEET THE FLT AND TALK TO THE WOMAN. NO SECURITY WAS AVAILABLE, AND NO FBI, SO THE LCL POLICE WERE WAITING FOR US ON THE JETBRIDGE. THE PROB WAS THAT THEY SAID THEY COULD NOT BOARD THE AIRPLANE ARMED, SO A MALE GND PERSONNEL (BAGGAGE HANDLER, OR AGENT) CAME ONBOARD AND ESCORTED HER OFF. SHE PUT ON HER SUNGLASSES (IT WAS MIDNIGHT) AND WALKED OFF NONCHALANTLY. ONCE IN THE TERMINAL (WE HAD TO SAY WE WOULD PRESS CHARGES BEFORE THEY WOULD EVEN TALK TO HER), SHE BROKE DOWN CRYING AND APOLOGIZING PROFUSELY. THE CREW ALL GATHERED AFTER DEPLANING AND SHE PLEADED IGNORANCE. WE DECIDED NOT TO PRESS CHARGES AND LET HER GO. BOTTOM LINE IS WE WOULD HAVE PREFERRED TO HAVE OUR AIRLINE SECURITY TALK TO HER AND EXPLAIN SHE WOULD BE UNABLE TO FLY ON OUR AIRLINE AGAIN, OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. WE DIDN'T NECESSARILY WANT TO PUT HER IN JAIL, BUT THERE NEEDS TO BE AN IN-BTWN THREAT TO PAX WHO CAUSE SUCH A DISRUPTION INFLT. THERE WERE A LOT OF UPSET PAX ON THIS FLT. THEY ACTUALLY APPLAUDED WHEN SHE WAS TAKEN AWAY. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT THE WOMAN VERBALLY ATTACHED EVERY PERSON, INCLUDING CHILDREN, AS THEY PASSED HER SEAT. THE REST OF THE PAX WERE READY TO 'KILL' IF SOMETHING WASN'T DONE ABOUT HER. WHEN THEY ARRIVED IN SJU, THE POLICE SAID THEY COULDN'T COME ON BOARD AND GET HER, BECAUSE THAT WAS THE FAA'S AND FBI'S TERRITORY, SO THAT'S WHEN THE BAGGAGE HANDLER PHYSICALLY TOOK HER OFF. THE OTHER PAX CHEERED AS SHE WAS LED OFF. THE REASON THEIR OWN AIRLINE SECURITY DIDN'T MEET THE FLT WAS THAT IT WAS AFTER MIDNIGHT AND NO ONE WAS AROUND. AFTER THE POLICE INTERROGATED HER, SHE ASKED TO SEE THE CREW TO APOLOGIZE AND BEG THEIR FORGIVENESS. THE CREW DIDN'T PRESS CHARGES, BECAUSE ALCOHOL WAS NOT A FACTOR AND SHE DIDN'T HURT ANYONE. SHE WAS JUST A 'MENTAL' CASE AND NEEDED PSYCHIATRIC HELP. HOWEVER, SHE STILL SHOULDN'T BE ALLOWED TO TRAVEL ON ANY AIRLINE.

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.