Narrative:

Ms X seemed uptight during boarding. She was extremely unpleasant and hard to please when I took dinner preferences. #3 flight attendant delivered her hot tea 3 times before it was to her satisfaction. She still refused to drink the tea. When we were delivering the tossed salad, she wanted nothing from the 3-TIERED cart and insisted on knowing what her special meal consisted of at that moment. I was unsure but promised to check and get back to her. While offering the next passenger their bread and salad choice, ms X began repeatedly ringing her call light. In a very strong, firm voice, she ordered me to inform her of her meal choice. This would be the only way she could determine what she would drink. Again, I said I would be happy to accommodate her wishes, it would be a moment. We continued with our service. She again repeatedly rang her call light. When we reached her seat, I asked if there was anything she wanted. She ordered me to fill her request and she was first class and would not wait. I asked her to lower her voice and not to speak to me or any other crew member in the irate manner. She continued, we left the aisle. She came to the galley, stated she would not be treated so poorly, and I needed to learn customer service. She continued saying she demanded service. She wanted to know who was the flight attendant in charge. I informed her it was me. She demanded to go to the cockpit. When I refused, she became more irate and took her finger, pointed it in my face, and said she would have my job. I asked her to return to her seat. Adjoining passenger request to move, stating she refused to share a seat with someone of this caliber. We were not full and were able to accommodate her wishes. I asked our captain to speak with ms. X. He said that was not his job and he had more important tasks at hand. I explained this to ms X. This only made matters worse. She said I would be hearing from her attorney. Mr xy gave me his business card and said he would be a witness to the situation. When ms X saw this, she said she would have my job and everything else of mine. I returned to the galley in tears. I explained the situation to the captain and he saw no need to take action. I requested several times for security to meet our flight, but he refused. In his opinion, nothing was wrong. He stated until 'she physically assaulted me' that there was nothing to be done! Ms xy and mr xy both asked why the captain chose to ignore and not respond to ms X. Mr Y asked why all of first class had to be subjected to such an irate situation and interrupted dinner service while nothing was being done to defuse the situation. I called the events hotline and asked if she would request flight service and security to meet the flight. She took my report and said she did not have the authority/authorized to make such requests but strongly encouraged the captain to request security. I reported back to the captain. This made him upset and he said he did not have time to deal with upset passenger and left the cockpit to see ms X. He only told her to calm down, not to touch anyone and that she could not have any paperwork. This only added to the situation. Captain said the chief pilot told him he could only request security if a passenger physically assaulted someone. Our service was interrupted and she continuously made verbal threats. She did continuously interrupt flight crew duties. #2 flight attendant helped #3 flight attendant complete our dinner service while another flight attendant picked up main cabin and did the first class follow-on service. I was dealing with ms X. It is our understanding we are the ears and eyes for the cockpit. Captain chose to hear nothing and refused to see the attitude, language and threats as flight crew interruption. We felt abandoned by our cockpit. Ms X personally threatened me when she promised to 'take away everything I ever had!' if not supporting your flight crew and allowing both the crew and fellow passenger to be permitted to take such verbal abuse and waiting to take action only if things become physically abusive, is the position our cockpit crew members are taking, then things must change! I wouldappreciate a response with the appropriate actions that should be been taken.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: THE FLT ATTENDANT IN CHARGE ON A B757 HAS A DIFFICULT TIME WITH A BAD MANNERED PAX. THE FLC REFUSES TO GET INVOLVED DURING THE INTERRUPTION OF THE MEAL SVC ENRTE TO IAD FROM LAX, CA.

Narrative: MS X SEEMED UPTIGHT DURING BOARDING. SHE WAS EXTREMELY UNPLEASANT AND HARD TO PLEASE WHEN I TOOK DINNER PREFERENCES. #3 FLT ATTENDANT DELIVERED HER HOT TEA 3 TIMES BEFORE IT WAS TO HER SATISFACTION. SHE STILL REFUSED TO DRINK THE TEA. WHEN WE WERE DELIVERING THE TOSSED SALAD, SHE WANTED NOTHING FROM THE 3-TIERED CART AND INSISTED ON KNOWING WHAT HER SPECIAL MEAL CONSISTED OF AT THAT MOMENT. I WAS UNSURE BUT PROMISED TO CHK AND GET BACK TO HER. WHILE OFFERING THE NEXT PAX THEIR BREAD AND SALAD CHOICE, MS X BEGAN REPEATEDLY RINGING HER CALL LIGHT. IN A VERY STRONG, FIRM VOICE, SHE ORDERED ME TO INFORM HER OF HER MEAL CHOICE. THIS WOULD BE THE ONLY WAY SHE COULD DETERMINE WHAT SHE WOULD DRINK. AGAIN, I SAID I WOULD BE HAPPY TO ACCOMMODATE HER WISHES, IT WOULD BE A MOMENT. WE CONTINUED WITH OUR SVC. SHE AGAIN REPEATEDLY RANG HER CALL LIGHT. WHEN WE REACHED HER SEAT, I ASKED IF THERE WAS ANYTHING SHE WANTED. SHE ORDERED ME TO FILL HER REQUEST AND SHE WAS FIRST CLASS AND WOULD NOT WAIT. I ASKED HER TO LOWER HER VOICE AND NOT TO SPEAK TO ME OR ANY OTHER CREW MEMBER IN THE IRATE MANNER. SHE CONTINUED, WE LEFT THE AISLE. SHE CAME TO THE GALLEY, STATED SHE WOULD NOT BE TREATED SO POORLY, AND I NEEDED TO LEARN CUSTOMER SVC. SHE CONTINUED SAYING SHE DEMANDED SVC. SHE WANTED TO KNOW WHO WAS THE FLT ATTENDANT IN CHARGE. I INFORMED HER IT WAS ME. SHE DEMANDED TO GO TO THE COCKPIT. WHEN I REFUSED, SHE BECAME MORE IRATE AND TOOK HER FINGER, POINTED IT IN MY FACE, AND SAID SHE WOULD HAVE MY JOB. I ASKED HER TO RETURN TO HER SEAT. ADJOINING PAX REQUEST TO MOVE, STATING SHE REFUSED TO SHARE A SEAT WITH SOMEONE OF THIS CALIBER. WE WERE NOT FULL AND WERE ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE HER WISHES. I ASKED OUR CAPT TO SPEAK WITH MS. X. HE SAID THAT WAS NOT HIS JOB AND HE HAD MORE IMPORTANT TASKS AT HAND. I EXPLAINED THIS TO MS X. THIS ONLY MADE MATTERS WORSE. SHE SAID I WOULD BE HEARING FROM HER ATTORNEY. MR XY GAVE ME HIS BUSINESS CARD AND SAID HE WOULD BE A WITNESS TO THE SIT. WHEN MS X SAW THIS, SHE SAID SHE WOULD HAVE MY JOB AND EVERYTHING ELSE OF MINE. I RETURNED TO THE GALLEY IN TEARS. I EXPLAINED THE SIT TO THE CAPT AND HE SAW NO NEED TO TAKE ACTION. I REQUESTED SEVERAL TIMES FOR SECURITY TO MEET OUR FLT, BUT HE REFUSED. IN HIS OPINION, NOTHING WAS WRONG. HE STATED UNTIL 'SHE PHYSICALLY ASSAULTED ME' THAT THERE WAS NOTHING TO BE DONE! MS XY AND MR XY BOTH ASKED WHY THE CAPT CHOSE TO IGNORE AND NOT RESPOND TO MS X. MR Y ASKED WHY ALL OF FIRST CLASS HAD TO BE SUBJECTED TO SUCH AN IRATE SIT AND INTERRUPTED DINNER SVC WHILE NOTHING WAS BEING DONE TO DEFUSE THE SIT. I CALLED THE EVENTS HOTLINE AND ASKED IF SHE WOULD REQUEST FLT SVC AND SECURITY TO MEET THE FLT. SHE TOOK MY RPT AND SAID SHE DID NOT HAVE THE AUTH TO MAKE SUCH REQUESTS BUT STRONGLY ENCOURAGED THE CAPT TO REQUEST SECURITY. I RPTED BACK TO THE CAPT. THIS MADE HIM UPSET AND HE SAID HE DID NOT HAVE TIME TO DEAL WITH UPSET PAX AND LEFT THE COCKPIT TO SEE MS X. HE ONLY TOLD HER TO CALM DOWN, NOT TO TOUCH ANYONE AND THAT SHE COULD NOT HAVE ANY PAPERWORK. THIS ONLY ADDED TO THE SIT. CAPT SAID THE CHIEF PLT TOLD HIM HE COULD ONLY REQUEST SECURITY IF A PAX PHYSICALLY ASSAULTED SOMEONE. OUR SVC WAS INTERRUPTED AND SHE CONTINUOUSLY MADE VERBAL THREATS. SHE DID CONTINUOUSLY INTERRUPT FLC DUTIES. #2 FLT ATTENDANT HELPED #3 FLT ATTENDANT COMPLETE OUR DINNER SVC WHILE ANOTHER FLT ATTENDANT PICKED UP MAIN CABIN AND DID THE FIRST CLASS FOLLOW-ON SVC. I WAS DEALING WITH MS X. IT IS OUR UNDERSTANDING WE ARE THE EARS AND EYES FOR THE COCKPIT. CAPT CHOSE TO HEAR NOTHING AND REFUSED TO SEE THE ATTITUDE, LANGUAGE AND THREATS AS FLC INTERRUPTION. WE FELT ABANDONED BY OUR COCKPIT. MS X PERSONALLY THREATENED ME WHEN SHE PROMISED TO 'TAKE AWAY EVERYTHING I EVER HAD!' IF NOT SUPPORTING YOUR FLC AND ALLOWING BOTH THE CREW AND FELLOW PAX TO BE PERMITTED TO TAKE SUCH VERBAL ABUSE AND WAITING TO TAKE ACTION ONLY IF THINGS BECOME PHYSICALLY ABUSIVE, IS THE POS OUR COCKPIT CREW MEMBERS ARE TAKING, THEN THINGS MUST CHANGE! I WOULDAPPRECIATE A RESPONSE WITH THE APPROPRIATE ACTIONS THAT SHOULD BE BEEN TAKEN.

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.