Narrative:

Shortly after the 10000 ft chime, passenger C moved from her assigned seat xa to xe in first class. A deadheading flight attendant pointed her out to me once I had begun my beverage service. I had to ask her 3 times to go back to her seat. When she finally got up and headed to the coach cabin, she didn't go to her assigned seat. After I finished my service, I headed to the main cabin to pick up trash. As I passed passenger X, she got up and headed up to first class. I stopped to watch her and make sure she wasn't having a seat in first class again. She actually went into the lavatory, but was very slow and was looking in the galley until she shut the door. It made me very uneasy. I looked at my watch, finished picking up and headed back to first class. I checked on the crew meals, called the flight attendants in the back. A few mins alter, flight attendant #4 came up and asked me where the passenger was. I said 'she is still in the lavatory and it's been 10 mins.' I knocked on the door to check on her and she didn't answer. I knocked 2 more times before she finally answered the door. I asked her if she was ok and she said 'yeah, why' and I said 'you've been in there 10 mins and I wanted to make sure you were ok.' she was very upset and started yelling at me about timing her and checking up on her. I asked her numerous times to come out of the lavatory and go back to her seat. She stated she still needed to use the lavatory. I said 'what have you been doing in there?' she continued yelling at me and I asked her to go to the aft lavatories. She wouldn't go, so I called the captain, let him know what the deal was. He said 'she needs to come out now, or we will have her arrested for not complying with crew member instructions and interfering with duties.' she didn't come out until a few mins before landing. The harbor police met us and escorted her onto the jetbridge and started questioning her. After we deplaned, we were all in the terminal being questioned and waiting for the fbi. We (the crew) waited for almost 2 hours for the fbi and then we finally left for our hotel. The next morning when we returned to the airport, we were told the fbi finally showed up 3 hours 18 mins after we landed. We were also informed that they let the passenger go because no one was assaulted and nothing was broken. Passenger should have been handcuffed and taken straight to jail and the crew should not have had to wait so long for the fbi to show up. How can we did our jobs as flight attendants and enforce security if no one backs us up?

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A PAX'S UNWILLINGNESS TO USE ASSIGNED SEAT AND COMPLY WITH CABIN CREW'S DIRECTION RESULTS IN LAW ENFORCEMENT MEETING THE ACFT.

Narrative: SHORTLY AFTER THE 10000 FT CHIME, PAX C MOVED FROM HER ASSIGNED SEAT XA TO XE IN FIRST CLASS. A DEADHEADING FLT ATTENDANT POINTED HER OUT TO ME ONCE I HAD BEGUN MY BEVERAGE SVC. I HAD TO ASK HER 3 TIMES TO GO BACK TO HER SEAT. WHEN SHE FINALLY GOT UP AND HEADED TO THE COACH CABIN, SHE DIDN'T GO TO HER ASSIGNED SEAT. AFTER I FINISHED MY SVC, I HEADED TO THE MAIN CABIN TO PICK UP TRASH. AS I PASSED PAX X, SHE GOT UP AND HEADED UP TO FIRST CLASS. I STOPPED TO WATCH HER AND MAKE SURE SHE WASN'T HAVING A SEAT IN FIRST CLASS AGAIN. SHE ACTUALLY WENT INTO THE LAVATORY, BUT WAS VERY SLOW AND WAS LOOKING IN THE GALLEY UNTIL SHE SHUT THE DOOR. IT MADE ME VERY UNEASY. I LOOKED AT MY WATCH, FINISHED PICKING UP AND HEADED BACK TO FIRST CLASS. I CHKED ON THE CREW MEALS, CALLED THE FLT ATTENDANTS IN THE BACK. A FEW MINS ALTER, FLT ATTENDANT #4 CAME UP AND ASKED ME WHERE THE PAX WAS. I SAID 'SHE IS STILL IN THE LAVATORY AND IT'S BEEN 10 MINS.' I KNOCKED ON THE DOOR TO CHK ON HER AND SHE DIDN'T ANSWER. I KNOCKED 2 MORE TIMES BEFORE SHE FINALLY ANSWERED THE DOOR. I ASKED HER IF SHE WAS OK AND SHE SAID 'YEAH, WHY' AND I SAID 'YOU'VE BEEN IN THERE 10 MINS AND I WANTED TO MAKE SURE YOU WERE OK.' SHE WAS VERY UPSET AND STARTED YELLING AT ME ABOUT TIMING HER AND CHKING UP ON HER. I ASKED HER NUMEROUS TIMES TO COME OUT OF THE LAVATORY AND GO BACK TO HER SEAT. SHE STATED SHE STILL NEEDED TO USE THE LAVATORY. I SAID 'WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING IN THERE?' SHE CONTINUED YELLING AT ME AND I ASKED HER TO GO TO THE AFT LAVATORIES. SHE WOULDN'T GO, SO I CALLED THE CAPT, LET HIM KNOW WHAT THE DEAL WAS. HE SAID 'SHE NEEDS TO COME OUT NOW, OR WE WILL HAVE HER ARRESTED FOR NOT COMPLYING WITH CREW MEMBER INSTRUCTIONS AND INTERFERING WITH DUTIES.' SHE DIDN'T COME OUT UNTIL A FEW MINS BEFORE LNDG. THE HARBOR POLICE MET US AND ESCORTED HER ONTO THE JETBRIDGE AND STARTED QUESTIONING HER. AFTER WE DEPLANED, WE WERE ALL IN THE TERMINAL BEING QUESTIONED AND WAITING FOR THE FBI. WE (THE CREW) WAITED FOR ALMOST 2 HRS FOR THE FBI AND THEN WE FINALLY LEFT FOR OUR HOTEL. THE NEXT MORNING WHEN WE RETURNED TO THE ARPT, WE WERE TOLD THE FBI FINALLY SHOWED UP 3 HRS 18 MINS AFTER WE LANDED. WE WERE ALSO INFORMED THAT THEY LET THE PAX GO BECAUSE NO ONE WAS ASSAULTED AND NOTHING WAS BROKEN. PAX SHOULD HAVE BEEN HANDCUFFED AND TAKEN STRAIGHT TO JAIL AND THE CREW SHOULD NOT HAVE HAD TO WAIT SO LONG FOR THE FBI TO SHOW UP. HOW CAN WE DID OUR JOBS AS FLT ATTENDANTS AND ENFORCE SECURITY IF NO ONE BACKS US UP?

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.