Narrative:

Passenger smoking in forward lavatory. Mid flight, a male passenger had a cigarette hanging from his mouth and stated he wasn't smoking it. About 1 hour out, he asked flight attendant #2 when we would be arriving. She stated in about 1 hour, and then he ever so politely yelled f---! Then shortly thereafter, he entered the lavatory (rear) with the cigarette in his mouth and departed 5 mins later without the cigarette. Flight attendant #2 asked if he had smoked the cigarette and where did he dispose of it? He denied smoking at all. Flight attendant #2 then called the captain. During the second beverage service, the female went on a tirade about smoker's rights and just prove they were smoking. Passenger Y in xd came to the back and asked if we could please move her. She also stated that they were discussing how they were going to pay the fine. We did move her (passenger Y) when doing seat belt compliance checks and walking through first class, ms Z, stopped me and asked if 'that woman was smoking in the lavatory.' apparently the smoke was quite heavy after the female left the first class lavatory. I missed out on that incident. I just witnessed and was the brunt of her (female smoker) lecture on smoker's rights. Flight attendant #2, I think, worked with the captain and called ahead for passenger service and dallas police to meet the flight. The passenger were drinking rum and coke (the female) and sprite and crown throughout the flight (male). Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated that the man, with the unlit, dangling cigarette from his mouth, was traveling with the woman. In the confrontation with the reporter, the woman said that they were like heroin addicts and needed to feed their habit. At one point, the woman witness in their row, reported that the couple was even figuring out if the cigarettes were worth a $2000 fine, and evidently thought that it was worth the fine. When the woman smoked in the first class lavatory, she must have smoked more than 6 inch cigarettes, because the smoke was thick in the first class cabin and even filtered into the cockpit. At this point, the captain really started taking the matter seriously, because when informed earlier, he hadn't wanted to take any punitive action against the couple. The smoke alarm never went off, and the reporter stated that the smoke alarms are now heat activated, not smoke activated. The reporter stayed with the passenger until the police met the flight, but the police were reluctant to deal with the people, because the matter 'wasn't their problem,' implying that it was a federal issue. The company's passenger service supervisor did meet the flight and told the couple that because of their non-compliance with the smoking far's, they could not continue on to cancun on their airline and to find another way to get there. Callback with union safety chairperson: the safety chairperson told the analyst that all their airplanes in their airline's fleet have smoke detectors in the lavatories, except for the MD11. The airline plans on retiring all of the MD11's this year. She said that, unfortunately, the rumor has been spread around her airline's flight attendants that the heat detectors have replaced the smoke detectors in their lavatories. She is going to alert the flight attendants in her company about the false rumor.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CABIN ATTENDANT RPT, S80, SEA-DFW. MAN, WOMAN SMOKING IN LAVATORY, SMOKE LEAKED INTO COCKPIT, CABIN. POLICE MET FLT, NO CHARGES. SUPVR BANNED COUPLE FROM AIRLINE.

Narrative: PAX SMOKING IN FORWARD LAVATORY. MID FLT, A MALE PAX HAD A CIGARETTE HANGING FROM HIS MOUTH AND STATED HE WASN'T SMOKING IT. ABOUT 1 HR OUT, HE ASKED FLT ATTENDANT #2 WHEN WE WOULD BE ARRIVING. SHE STATED IN ABOUT 1 HR, AND THEN HE EVER SO POLITELY YELLED F---! THEN SHORTLY THEREAFTER, HE ENTERED THE LAVATORY (REAR) WITH THE CIGARETTE IN HIS MOUTH AND DEPARTED 5 MINS LATER WITHOUT THE CIGARETTE. FLT ATTENDANT #2 ASKED IF HE HAD SMOKED THE CIGARETTE AND WHERE DID HE DISPOSE OF IT? HE DENIED SMOKING AT ALL. FLT ATTENDANT #2 THEN CALLED THE CAPT. DURING THE SECOND BEVERAGE SVC, THE FEMALE WENT ON A TIRADE ABOUT SMOKER'S RIGHTS AND JUST PROVE THEY WERE SMOKING. PAX Y IN XD CAME TO THE BACK AND ASKED IF WE COULD PLEASE MOVE HER. SHE ALSO STATED THAT THEY WERE DISCUSSING HOW THEY WERE GOING TO PAY THE FINE. WE DID MOVE HER (PAX Y) WHEN DOING SEAT BELT COMPLIANCE CHKS AND WALKING THROUGH FIRST CLASS, MS Z, STOPPED ME AND ASKED IF 'THAT WOMAN WAS SMOKING IN THE LAVATORY.' APPARENTLY THE SMOKE WAS QUITE HVY AFTER THE FEMALE LEFT THE FIRST CLASS LAVATORY. I MISSED OUT ON THAT INCIDENT. I JUST WITNESSED AND WAS THE BRUNT OF HER (FEMALE SMOKER) LECTURE ON SMOKER'S RIGHTS. FLT ATTENDANT #2, I THINK, WORKED WITH THE CAPT AND CALLED AHEAD FOR PAX SVC AND DALLAS POLICE TO MEET THE FLT. THE PAX WERE DRINKING RUM AND COKE (THE FEMALE) AND SPRITE AND CROWN THROUGHOUT THE FLT (MALE). CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT THE MAN, WITH THE UNLIT, DANGLING CIGARETTE FROM HIS MOUTH, WAS TRAVELING WITH THE WOMAN. IN THE CONFRONTATION WITH THE RPTR, THE WOMAN SAID THAT THEY WERE LIKE HEROIN ADDICTS AND NEEDED TO FEED THEIR HABIT. AT ONE POINT, THE WOMAN WITNESS IN THEIR ROW, RPTED THAT THE COUPLE WAS EVEN FIGURING OUT IF THE CIGARETTES WERE WORTH A $2000 FINE, AND EVIDENTLY THOUGHT THAT IT WAS WORTH THE FINE. WHEN THE WOMAN SMOKED IN THE FIRST CLASS LAVATORY, SHE MUST HAVE SMOKED MORE THAN 6 INCH CIGARETTES, BECAUSE THE SMOKE WAS THICK IN THE FIRST CLASS CABIN AND EVEN FILTERED INTO THE COCKPIT. AT THIS POINT, THE CAPT REALLY STARTED TAKING THE MATTER SERIOUSLY, BECAUSE WHEN INFORMED EARLIER, HE HADN'T WANTED TO TAKE ANY PUNITIVE ACTION AGAINST THE COUPLE. THE SMOKE ALARM NEVER WENT OFF, AND THE RPTR STATED THAT THE SMOKE ALARMS ARE NOW HEAT ACTIVATED, NOT SMOKE ACTIVATED. THE RPTR STAYED WITH THE PAX UNTIL THE POLICE MET THE FLT, BUT THE POLICE WERE RELUCTANT TO DEAL WITH THE PEOPLE, BECAUSE THE MATTER 'WASN'T THEIR PROB,' IMPLYING THAT IT WAS A FEDERAL ISSUE. THE COMPANY'S PAX SVC SUPVR DID MEET THE FLT AND TOLD THE COUPLE THAT BECAUSE OF THEIR NON-COMPLIANCE WITH THE SMOKING FAR'S, THEY COULD NOT CONTINUE ON TO CANCUN ON THEIR AIRLINE AND TO FIND ANOTHER WAY TO GET THERE. CALLBACK WITH UNION SAFETY CHAIRPERSON: THE SAFETY CHAIRPERSON TOLD THE ANALYST THAT ALL THEIR AIRPLANES IN THEIR AIRLINE'S FLEET HAVE SMOKE DETECTORS IN THE LAVATORIES, EXCEPT FOR THE MD11. THE AIRLINE PLANS ON RETIRING ALL OF THE MD11'S THIS YEAR. SHE SAID THAT, UNFORTUNATELY, THE RUMOR HAS BEEN SPREAD AROUND HER AIRLINE'S FLT ATTENDANTS THAT THE HEAT DETECTORS HAVE REPLACED THE SMOKE DETECTORS IN THEIR LAVATORIES. SHE IS GOING TO ALERT THE FLT ATTENDANTS IN HER COMPANY ABOUT THE FALSE RUMOR.

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.