Narrative:

Midway through climb out and shortly after releasing the flight attendants to start their in-flight service, C1 flight attendant noticed the aft left lavatory door was indicating occupied. Realizing no one had come back, she slid the latch open and discovered a man sitting on the toilet. She closed the door and asked him if he had a cabin seat and replied to the affirmative. She then reminded him that the seatbelt sign was still illuminated and told him he would have to return to his seat. As C1 proceeded to the front of the cabin she did not see an empty seat and reported to flight attendant C2 and myself her observations. C2 then doublechked for an open seat and when none was found she knocked on the bathroom door. The man cracked open the door and C2 asked him if he had a cabin seat. He again said yes and he was once again asked to return to his seat. The man was still in the bathroom upon reaching leveloff cruise altitude, so I went back and knocked on the door and received no answer. I then attempted to slide the lock open and discovered the occupant was holding the latch closed. I announced 'this is the captain and I need you to open the door now!' the man immediately opened the door and said he was sick. I asked him if he had a cabin seat and he said yes. When I asked his seat number he said he didn't know it. At this point, I could tell the man was in his early to mid twenties and very scared. In order to calm him, I told him I didn't think he had a seat, but my main concern was for safety and that we might have to put him on the jump seat for landing. I also told him that we really needed the lavatory because I was about to turn the seatbelt sign off and other passenger would be needing the restroom. He responded that he would be right out, but that he really did need to go to the restroom. I told him he had to be out within 5 mins. As I closed the door, flight attendant C3 pointed out a policeman in the next to the last row on the right side of the aircraft. I explained the situation to him and another able bodied male passenger in the last row and told them to keep an eye on the young man and not to let him come to the front of the aircraft until we investigated further. I then proceeded back to the cockpit and was explaining the situation to dispatch when flight attendant C3 came up with the information that the young man was sitting on the rear jump seat and had given his name as stow away. With that information, it didn't take dispatcher long to come up with the information that stow away had boarded the aircraft in phl and had listed himself as an off duty. Continued to talk to the young man and he told her that he was an air carrier intern and that he didn't want to get fired. As he continued to calm down, C3 asked him a second time if he had any identify and he gave her a temporary air carrier identify with an altered date. At this point, he seemed to realize that he was in trouble with no way out and asked C3 if he could explain what he had done and why. His story is that he had worked for ramp services approximately 1 month this summer as a college project and had been given passes and a temporary identify card. He said he was traveling with a revenue passenger to a wedding in las and when he realized he might not get on in stl as a non revenue, he walked past the boarding agent while she was busy. Standing in the back of the aircraft, he slid into the lavatory while the flight attendants were busy. Having all the facts in hand and not considering stow away as a threat, dispatcher and I decided to continue the flight to las rather than make an overweight landing short of det. Dispatcher suggested we find a qualified jump seater if possible to let stow away have a passenger seat for landing. We did find an off duty flight attendant that was willing to situation on a jump seat and we put the stow away first row of coach for landing. Upon arriving in las, airport police met the flight and stow away was removed prior to passenger deplaning. After going to the airport police station, it was determined no further reports were required and we proceeded to our layover. During the entire incident, all 3 flight attendants, first officer and dispatcher acted with extreme professionalism by calmly gathering the required information that allowed us to minimize passenger inconvenience and concerns without compromising safety. Out of 142 passenger, most all were highly complimentary of the way the incident was handled and most thanked us for a great flight as they deplaned. Only 1 passenger complained that his safety was put in jeopardy and that he would like a free ticket back as reimbursement. I think his request speaks for itself.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC CABIN CREW FOUND STOW AWAY IN RESTROOM DURING CLBOUT.

Narrative: MIDWAY THROUGH CLBOUT AND SHORTLY AFTER RELEASING THE FLT ATTENDANTS TO START THEIR INFLT SVC, C1 FLT ATTENDANT NOTICED THE AFT L LAVATORY DOOR WAS INDICATING OCCUPIED. REALIZING NO ONE HAD COME BACK, SHE SLID THE LATCH OPEN AND DISCOVERED A MAN SITTING ON THE TOILET. SHE CLOSED THE DOOR AND ASKED HIM IF HE HAD A CABIN SEAT AND REPLIED TO THE AFFIRMATIVE. SHE THEN REMINDED HIM THAT THE SEATBELT SIGN WAS STILL ILLUMINATED AND TOLD HIM HE WOULD HAVE TO RETURN TO HIS SEAT. AS C1 PROCEEDED TO THE FRONT OF THE CABIN SHE DID NOT SEE AN EMPTY SEAT AND RPTED TO FLT ATTENDANT C2 AND MYSELF HER OBSERVATIONS. C2 THEN DOUBLECHKED FOR AN OPEN SEAT AND WHEN NONE WAS FOUND SHE KNOCKED ON THE BATHROOM DOOR. THE MAN CRACKED OPEN THE DOOR AND C2 ASKED HIM IF HE HAD A CABIN SEAT. HE AGAIN SAID YES AND HE WAS ONCE AGAIN ASKED TO RETURN TO HIS SEAT. THE MAN WAS STILL IN THE BATHROOM UPON REACHING LEVELOFF CRUISE ALT, SO I WENT BACK AND KNOCKED ON THE DOOR AND RECEIVED NO ANSWER. I THEN ATTEMPTED TO SLIDE THE LOCK OPEN AND DISCOVERED THE OCCUPANT WAS HOLDING THE LATCH CLOSED. I ANNOUNCED 'THIS IS THE CAPT AND I NEED YOU TO OPEN THE DOOR NOW!' THE MAN IMMEDIATELY OPENED THE DOOR AND SAID HE WAS SICK. I ASKED HIM IF HE HAD A CABIN SEAT AND HE SAID YES. WHEN I ASKED HIS SEAT NUMBER HE SAID HE DIDN'T KNOW IT. AT THIS POINT, I COULD TELL THE MAN WAS IN HIS EARLY TO MID TWENTIES AND VERY SCARED. IN ORDER TO CALM HIM, I TOLD HIM I DIDN'T THINK HE HAD A SEAT, BUT MY MAIN CONCERN WAS FOR SAFETY AND THAT WE MIGHT HAVE TO PUT HIM ON THE JUMP SEAT FOR LNDG. I ALSO TOLD HIM THAT WE REALLY NEEDED THE LAVATORY BECAUSE I WAS ABOUT TO TURN THE SEATBELT SIGN OFF AND OTHER PAX WOULD BE NEEDING THE RESTROOM. HE RESPONDED THAT HE WOULD BE RIGHT OUT, BUT THAT HE REALLY DID NEED TO GO TO THE RESTROOM. I TOLD HIM HE HAD TO BE OUT WITHIN 5 MINS. AS I CLOSED THE DOOR, FLT ATTENDANT C3 POINTED OUT A POLICEMAN IN THE NEXT TO THE LAST ROW ON THE R SIDE OF THE ACFT. I EXPLAINED THE SIT TO HIM AND ANOTHER ABLE BODIED MALE PAX IN THE LAST ROW AND TOLD THEM TO KEEP AN EYE ON THE YOUNG MAN AND NOT TO LET HIM COME TO THE FRONT OF THE ACFT UNTIL WE INVESTIGATED FURTHER. I THEN PROCEEDED BACK TO THE COCKPIT AND WAS EXPLAINING THE SIT TO DISPATCH WHEN FLT ATTENDANT C3 CAME UP WITH THE INFO THAT THE YOUNG MAN WAS SITTING ON THE REAR JUMP SEAT AND HAD GIVEN HIS NAME AS STOW AWAY. WITH THAT INFO, IT DIDN'T TAKE DISPATCHER LONG TO COME UP WITH THE INFO THAT STOW AWAY HAD BOARDED THE ACFT IN PHL AND HAD LISTED HIMSELF AS AN OFF DUTY. CONTINUED TO TALK TO THE YOUNG MAN AND HE TOLD HER THAT HE WAS AN ACR INTERN AND THAT HE DIDN'T WANT TO GET FIRED. AS HE CONTINUED TO CALM DOWN, C3 ASKED HIM A SECOND TIME IF HE HAD ANY IDENT AND HE GAVE HER A TEMPORARY ACR IDENT WITH AN ALTERED DATE. AT THIS POINT, HE SEEMED TO REALIZE THAT HE WAS IN TROUBLE WITH NO WAY OUT AND ASKED C3 IF HE COULD EXPLAIN WHAT HE HAD DONE AND WHY. HIS STORY IS THAT HE HAD WORKED FOR RAMP SVCS APPROX 1 MONTH THIS SUMMER AS A COLLEGE PROJECT AND HAD BEEN GIVEN PASSES AND A TEMPORARY IDENT CARD. HE SAID HE WAS TRAVELING WITH A REVENUE PAX TO A WEDDING IN LAS AND WHEN HE REALIZED HE MIGHT NOT GET ON IN STL AS A NON REVENUE, HE WALKED PAST THE BOARDING AGENT WHILE SHE WAS BUSY. STANDING IN THE BACK OF THE ACFT, HE SLID INTO THE LAVATORY WHILE THE FLT ATTENDANTS WERE BUSY. HAVING ALL THE FACTS IN HAND AND NOT CONSIDERING STOW AWAY AS A THREAT, DISPATCHER AND I DECIDED TO CONTINUE THE FLT TO LAS RATHER THAN MAKE AN OVERWT LNDG SHORT OF DET. DISPATCHER SUGGESTED WE FIND A QUALIFIED JUMP SEATER IF POSSIBLE TO LET STOW AWAY HAVE A PAX SEAT FOR LNDG. WE DID FIND AN OFF DUTY FLT ATTENDANT THAT WAS WILLING TO SIT ON A JUMP SEAT AND WE PUT THE STOW AWAY FIRST ROW OF COACH FOR LNDG. UPON ARRIVING IN LAS, ARPT POLICE MET THE FLT AND STOW AWAY WAS REMOVED PRIOR TO PAX DEPLANING. AFTER GOING TO THE ARPT POLICE STATION, IT WAS DETERMINED NO FURTHER RPTS WERE REQUIRED AND WE PROCEEDED TO OUR LAYOVER. DURING THE ENTIRE INCIDENT, ALL 3 FLT ATTENDANTS, FO AND DISPATCHER ACTED WITH EXTREME PROFESSIONALISM BY CALMLY GATHERING THE REQUIRED INFO THAT ALLOWED US TO MINIMIZE PAX INCONVENIENCE AND CONCERNS WITHOUT COMPROMISING SAFETY. OUT OF 142 PAX, MOST ALL WERE HIGHLY COMPLIMENTARY OF THE WAY THE INCIDENT WAS HANDLED AND MOST THANKED US FOR A GREAT FLT AS THEY DEPLANED. ONLY 1 PAX COMPLAINED THAT HIS SAFETY WAS PUT IN JEOPARDY AND THAT HE WOULD LIKE A FREE TICKET BACK AS REIMBURSEMENT. I THINK HIS REQUEST SPEAKS FOR ITSELF.

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.