Narrative:

The origination of this aircraft was flight #yx, mia-atl. During the flight, I remember having to clear my ears more than normal. When we arrived at atl, I could not open the forward entry door. The pressure from inside the aircraft was keeping me from opening the door. I had to call on the flight engineer to open the door. Soon after takeoff from atl to dfw, my ears were popping as if the cabin was not being properly pressurized. I called the flight attendants in the back and they were experiencing the same problem. I called the cockpit and they were aware of the problem. About 5 mins after takeoff, I started setting up my galley. All of a sudden, my ears were popping very, very hard. I looked in the cabin and all the passenger were grabbing their nose and ears. I went in the cockpit and they were working with the flight engineer to fix the problem. The captain told me that the cabin could not be pressurized. He said for all flight attendants to take jump seat, strap in, just in case he had to drop masks. At this point, the captain said we would have to travel at an altitude of 8000 ft. The captain asked that we stay seated the entire flight. He advised us that it would be unsafe for crew and passenger to be up due to thin air. He said the feeling of hypoxia could cause someone to fall. I felt fine for the rest of the flight. However, the #4 flight attendant felt a bit dizzy and sick at some point during the flight. Due to the low altitude of flying, we had to land in shv for fuel. When we finally arrived in dfw, the captain told me we were flying on our last option. I guess there are 4 things to do to try to fix the pressure problem. The pilots were supposed to fly that plane to dtw, but they refused to fly in that plane. 2 days later we flew with a cockpit crew from dtw to mia and they were given that plane to fly a day after we had it. The mechanics working the plane before their flight said they never heard a plane's pressure test so loud before. They never did fly that plane. Why on earth was that plane still at dfw airport? It seems to me it should have been taken OTS after our flight. I found out that plane had been flying for 7 days with write-ups before our flight from atl-dfw.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CABIN ATTENDANT RPT, B727-200, ATL-DFW. PLANE HAD PRESSURIZATION PROB FROM MIA-ATL. DIVERT SHV FOR FUEL. CABIN ATTENDANT, PAX HAD EAR, DIZZINESS PROB.

Narrative: THE ORIGINATION OF THIS ACFT WAS FLT #YX, MIA-ATL. DURING THE FLT, I REMEMBER HAVING TO CLR MY EARS MORE THAN NORMAL. WHEN WE ARRIVED AT ATL, I COULD NOT OPEN THE FORWARD ENTRY DOOR. THE PRESSURE FROM INSIDE THE ACFT WAS KEEPING ME FROM OPENING THE DOOR. I HAD TO CALL ON THE FE TO OPEN THE DOOR. SOON AFTER TKOF FROM ATL TO DFW, MY EARS WERE POPPING AS IF THE CABIN WAS NOT BEING PROPERLY PRESSURIZED. I CALLED THE FLT ATTENDANTS IN THE BACK AND THEY WERE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROB. I CALLED THE COCKPIT AND THEY WERE AWARE OF THE PROB. ABOUT 5 MINS AFTER TKOF, I STARTED SETTING UP MY GALLEY. ALL OF A SUDDEN, MY EARS WERE POPPING VERY, VERY HARD. I LOOKED IN THE CABIN AND ALL THE PAX WERE GRABBING THEIR NOSE AND EARS. I WENT IN THE COCKPIT AND THEY WERE WORKING WITH THE FE TO FIX THE PROB. THE CAPT TOLD ME THAT THE CABIN COULD NOT BE PRESSURIZED. HE SAID FOR ALL FLT ATTENDANTS TO TAKE JUMP SEAT, STRAP IN, JUST IN CASE HE HAD TO DROP MASKS. AT THIS POINT, THE CAPT SAID WE WOULD HAVE TO TRAVEL AT AN ALT OF 8000 FT. THE CAPT ASKED THAT WE STAY SEATED THE ENTIRE FLT. HE ADVISED US THAT IT WOULD BE UNSAFE FOR CREW AND PAX TO BE UP DUE TO THIN AIR. HE SAID THE FEELING OF HYPOXIA COULD CAUSE SOMEONE TO FALL. I FELT FINE FOR THE REST OF THE FLT. HOWEVER, THE #4 FLT ATTENDANT FELT A BIT DIZZY AND SICK AT SOME POINT DURING THE FLT. DUE TO THE LOW ALT OF FLYING, WE HAD TO LAND IN SHV FOR FUEL. WHEN WE FINALLY ARRIVED IN DFW, THE CAPT TOLD ME WE WERE FLYING ON OUR LAST OPTION. I GUESS THERE ARE 4 THINGS TO DO TO TRY TO FIX THE PRESSURE PROB. THE PLTS WERE SUPPOSED TO FLY THAT PLANE TO DTW, BUT THEY REFUSED TO FLY IN THAT PLANE. 2 DAYS LATER WE FLEW WITH A COCKPIT CREW FROM DTW TO MIA AND THEY WERE GIVEN THAT PLANE TO FLY A DAY AFTER WE HAD IT. THE MECHS WORKING THE PLANE BEFORE THEIR FLT SAID THEY NEVER HEARD A PLANE'S PRESSURE TEST SO LOUD BEFORE. THEY NEVER DID FLY THAT PLANE. WHY ON EARTH WAS THAT PLANE STILL AT DFW ARPT? IT SEEMS TO ME IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN TAKEN OTS AFTER OUR FLT. I FOUND OUT THAT PLANE HAD BEEN FLYING FOR 7 DAYS WITH WRITE-UPS BEFORE OUR FLT FROM ATL-DFW.

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.