Narrative:

I first became aware of the situation with mr X just prior to takeoff, as flight attendant #8 was taking her jump seat. I felt it was necessary to speak with mr X before we became airborne to ensure he would not be a threat to us during the flight. When I approached seat, mr X had his arm firmly planted on the armrest between seats. I could see the muscles flexed in his forearm. I informed them that I had been notified that there may be a problem and needed to know if it had been resolved so we could take off and get on our way to dfw. Both mr X and ms Y began to tell me what was going on. At this point ms Y moved her arm as if to place it on the edge of the arm rest and mr X pushed her away using his elbow. Mr X became very upset and used profanity. I instructed him to calm down and informed him we did not tolerate such behavior. I told him we had a zero tolerance for any type of violence and this matter needed to be stopped immediately or we would return to the gate and he would not be able to continue on to dfw with us. He did not calm down for 1 min, he became more angry. He said I was only speaking to him because he was younger than she was. I told him I was speaking to him because I could see the muscles in his arm and because of his profanity. I learned he was upset that ms Y had refused to exchange seats with him. I asked mr X where is your father, he told me his father had nothing to do with this as it was between him and her. I asked him 3 times where his father was before he told me, by pointing. Not once did his father identify himself to us while we were talking to his son. Mr X began to really get upset and that is when I told him it was time to notify the captain. Flight attendant #5 was coming down the aisle to assist me and I asked him to stand next to mr X in the event it became necessary to call for any assistance to restrain him. I was concerned for the safety of ms Y and anyone that was having contact with mr X, because of his anger level. Prior to notifying the captain, mr X was told at least 3 different times that if he did not change and calm down of every possibility that could happen up to and including arrest by local auths. He was given instructions from a crew member and failed to comply with them and he was informed this was in violations of an far. Captain was notified and we returned to the gate where 4 hnl sheriff department personnel came on and removed mr X. Prior to arriving at the gate, I went to the father and notified him we were taking his son off the aircraft and told him if he wanted to volunteer to remove himself he could, however, he was welcome to continue with us as he was not involved. He told me he would continue with us. After mr X was on the jet bridge with the sheriff's department, his demeanor was a 100% different. He was making statements like: 'go get ms Y, we have worked it out and there will be no problems,' 'you are doing this because I am the younger one,' 'I want to talk to the captain, everything will be ok.' the officer was trying to take a report from me and I told mr X to be quiet, as I was talking and nothing he was saying was going to get him back on the plane. I did go into the cockpit and tell the captain that mr X wanted to speak to him. The captain said there was nothing else to be said and we needed to get closed up and on our way. I tried to give a written statement to the officer, however, with time of the essence to get us departed once again, they took a verbal statement and a very brief written statement. During the flight I spoke to passenger Z and he told me that he had overheard mr X use profanity with ms Y over the use of the armrest and that he had been throwing his back pack around prior to taking his seat. He praised all of the crew for the handling of the situation. I spoke to ms Y and she told me mr X had approached her during boarding and asked her to exchange seats with his father. She told him she had requested a window seat so she could sleep. He then went to passenger Z and made the same request and got the same reply. When he returned hewas upset and started throwing his carry on around and slammed himself into his seat. He then used his arm to shove her arm off the armrest. When she went to speak to him he told her she had the window (using profanity). She told me the situation went from bad to worse very quickly. That is when she asked for assistance from flight attendant #8.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN IRATE YOUNG PAX CREATES A SCENE OVER A SEAT ASSIGNMENT, TAKING IT OUT ON A WOMAN NEXT TO HIM AND IS REMOVED FROM THE FLT AT HNL, HI.

Narrative: I FIRST BECAME AWARE OF THE SIT WITH MR X JUST PRIOR TO TKOF, AS FLT ATTENDANT #8 WAS TAKING HER JUMP SEAT. I FELT IT WAS NECESSARY TO SPEAK WITH MR X BEFORE WE BECAME AIRBORNE TO ENSURE HE WOULD NOT BE A THREAT TO US DURING THE FLT. WHEN I APCHED SEAT, MR X HAD HIS ARM FIRMLY PLANTED ON THE ARMREST BTWN SEATS. I COULD SEE THE MUSCLES FLEXED IN HIS FOREARM. I INFORMED THEM THAT I HAD BEEN NOTIFIED THAT THERE MAY BE A PROB AND NEEDED TO KNOW IF IT HAD BEEN RESOLVED SO WE COULD TAKE OFF AND GET ON OUR WAY TO DFW. BOTH MR X AND MS Y BEGAN TO TELL ME WHAT WAS GOING ON. AT THIS POINT MS Y MOVED HER ARM AS IF TO PLACE IT ON THE EDGE OF THE ARM REST AND MR X PUSHED HER AWAY USING HIS ELBOW. MR X BECAME VERY UPSET AND USED PROFANITY. I INSTRUCTED HIM TO CALM DOWN AND INFORMED HIM WE DID NOT TOLERATE SUCH BEHAVIOR. I TOLD HIM WE HAD A ZERO TOLERANCE FOR ANY TYPE OF VIOLENCE AND THIS MATTER NEEDED TO BE STOPPED IMMEDIATELY OR WE WOULD RETURN TO THE GATE AND HE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO CONTINUE ON TO DFW WITH US. HE DID NOT CALM DOWN FOR 1 MIN, HE BECAME MORE ANGRY. HE SAID I WAS ONLY SPEAKING TO HIM BECAUSE HE WAS YOUNGER THAN SHE WAS. I TOLD HIM I WAS SPEAKING TO HIM BECAUSE I COULD SEE THE MUSCLES IN HIS ARM AND BECAUSE OF HIS PROFANITY. I LEARNED HE WAS UPSET THAT MS Y HAD REFUSED TO EXCHANGE SEATS WITH HIM. I ASKED MR X WHERE IS YOUR FATHER, HE TOLD ME HIS FATHER HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS AS IT WAS BTWN HIM AND HER. I ASKED HIM 3 TIMES WHERE HIS FATHER WAS BEFORE HE TOLD ME, BY POINTING. NOT ONCE DID HIS FATHER IDENT HIMSELF TO US WHILE WE WERE TALKING TO HIS SON. MR X BEGAN TO REALLY GET UPSET AND THAT IS WHEN I TOLD HIM IT WAS TIME TO NOTIFY THE CAPT. FLT ATTENDANT #5 WAS COMING DOWN THE AISLE TO ASSIST ME AND I ASKED HIM TO STAND NEXT TO MR X IN THE EVENT IT BECAME NECESSARY TO CALL FOR ANY ASSISTANCE TO RESTRAIN HIM. I WAS CONCERNED FOR THE SAFETY OF MS Y AND ANYONE THAT WAS HAVING CONTACT WITH MR X, BECAUSE OF HIS ANGER LEVEL. PRIOR TO NOTIFYING THE CAPT, MR X WAS TOLD AT LEAST 3 DIFFERENT TIMES THAT IF HE DID NOT CHANGE AND CALM DOWN OF EVERY POSSIBILITY THAT COULD HAPPEN UP TO AND INCLUDING ARREST BY LCL AUTHS. HE WAS GIVEN INSTRUCTIONS FROM A CREW MEMBER AND FAILED TO COMPLY WITH THEM AND HE WAS INFORMED THIS WAS IN VIOLATIONS OF AN FAR. CAPT WAS NOTIFIED AND WE RETURNED TO THE GATE WHERE 4 HNL SHERIFF DEPT PERSONNEL CAME ON AND REMOVED MR X. PRIOR TO ARRIVING AT THE GATE, I WENT TO THE FATHER AND NOTIFIED HIM WE WERE TAKING HIS SON OFF THE ACFT AND TOLD HIM IF HE WANTED TO VOLUNTEER TO REMOVE HIMSELF HE COULD, HOWEVER, HE WAS WELCOME TO CONTINUE WITH US AS HE WAS NOT INVOLVED. HE TOLD ME HE WOULD CONTINUE WITH US. AFTER MR X WAS ON THE JET BRIDGE WITH THE SHERIFF'S DEPT, HIS DEMEANOR WAS A 100% DIFFERENT. HE WAS MAKING STATEMENTS LIKE: 'GO GET MS Y, WE HAVE WORKED IT OUT AND THERE WILL BE NO PROBS,' 'YOU ARE DOING THIS BECAUSE I AM THE YOUNGER ONE,' 'I WANT TO TALK TO THE CAPT, EVERYTHING WILL BE OK.' THE OFFICER WAS TRYING TO TAKE A RPT FROM ME AND I TOLD MR X TO BE QUIET, AS I WAS TALKING AND NOTHING HE WAS SAYING WAS GOING TO GET HIM BACK ON THE PLANE. I DID GO INTO THE COCKPIT AND TELL THE CAPT THAT MR X WANTED TO SPEAK TO HIM. THE CAPT SAID THERE WAS NOTHING ELSE TO BE SAID AND WE NEEDED TO GET CLOSED UP AND ON OUR WAY. I TRIED TO GIVE A WRITTEN STATEMENT TO THE OFFICER, HOWEVER, WITH TIME OF THE ESSENCE TO GET US DEPARTED ONCE AGAIN, THEY TOOK A VERBAL STATEMENT AND A VERY BRIEF WRITTEN STATEMENT. DURING THE FLT I SPOKE TO PAX Z AND HE TOLD ME THAT HE HAD OVERHEARD MR X USE PROFANITY WITH MS Y OVER THE USE OF THE ARMREST AND THAT HE HAD BEEN THROWING HIS BACK PACK AROUND PRIOR TO TAKING HIS SEAT. HE PRAISED ALL OF THE CREW FOR THE HANDLING OF THE SIT. I SPOKE TO MS Y AND SHE TOLD ME MR X HAD APCHED HER DURING BOARDING AND ASKED HER TO EXCHANGE SEATS WITH HIS FATHER. SHE TOLD HIM SHE HAD REQUESTED A WINDOW SEAT SO SHE COULD SLEEP. HE THEN WENT TO PAX Z AND MADE THE SAME REQUEST AND GOT THE SAME REPLY. WHEN HE RETURNED HEWAS UPSET AND STARTED THROWING HIS CARRY ON AROUND AND SLAMMED HIMSELF INTO HIS SEAT. HE THEN USED HIS ARM TO SHOVE HER ARM OFF THE ARMREST. WHEN SHE WENT TO SPEAK TO HIM HE TOLD HER SHE HAD THE WINDOW (USING PROFANITY). SHE TOLD ME THE SIT WENT FROM BAD TO WORSE VERY QUICKLY. THAT IS WHEN SHE ASKED FOR ASSISTANCE FROM FLT ATTENDANT #8.

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.