Narrative:

I first encountered this passenger after the door to the aircraft had closed and flight attendant #1 said prepare for departure. After her announcement to the passenger, I did my safety checks and asked this gentleman to put his seat in the upright position for takeoff and turn off his phone. Doing a walk-through, I again asked him to put his seat in the upright position and then again after the safety video had finished -- a total of 3 times. During predep, he had asked for a glass of water. I witnessed that he took some medication. At this time I did not smell alcohol on him and because of the medication, attributed his non compliance with the seat back and cell phone to his medication. After takeoff, we brought the cart up and I prepared to offer him a beverage. He asked for 2 beers. At this time I excused myself and walked to first class to confer with flight attendants #1 and #3. I did not want to serve him any alcohol because I saw him take medication and he seemed slow in response to my requests for seat back and cell phone requirements. They wanted me to serve him, so we settled on 1 beer. After that beer, his responsiveness and appropriateness to function decreased dramatically. He was seated in the aisle and a female passenger was at the window. He proceeded to lay on her. She was forced to move to another seat because he disregarded her personal space. He continually turned on his cell phone until it was finally taken away from him. I informed the captain after the first beverage service and continually I or #1 flight attendant talked to the captain during the flight to keep him aware of the serious problem that could escalate at any moment. When we did our second service with meals, he was laying down on the seats and requested #1 flight attendant to lay his food tray on his stomach. She asked him to get up. He did not. She placed the tray on his stomach. He moved and the tray spilled into the seats. He refused to pick it up and swore vulgarities at #1 flight attendant. I asked him if he wanted a beverage. He did not respond. He went to the restroom (lavatory) twice during the flight, both times being disoriented and having difficulty walking, or even fastening his belt. He left the lavatory dirty, with toilet paper everywhere. Both times a flight attendant requested he return to the lavatory to clean up after himself. He did so. We talked to passenger sitting around him and found out he was acting in this manner in the lobby waiting for the flight, making phone calls and swearing to the person on the phone. During the flight, after his phone had been taken away from him, he continually looked/searched for his phone. About 1/2 way through the flight, a neighboring passenger hit his call light. #1 flight attendant went to see what the problem was. The intoxicated passenger was drinking johnny walker out of a 750 ml bottle and 3/4 of the bottle was gone, thus confirming his intoxication. #1 flight attendant took the bottle away from him. Upon arrival, we conferred with the pilot to have medical meet the flight. After landing, the passenger tried to get up while we were still taxiing to the jetbridge. After the captain said prepare for arrival, I had to stand in the aisle beside his seat to keep him seated until the medics came aboard to deplane him. The passenger around him were very gracious in complimenting our crew with a job well done, and captain was very supportive and ready to take any action for the safety of our crew/passenger/plane.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A FLT ATTENDANT RPTED AN ABUSIVE PAX DRINKING FROM HIS OWN BOTTLE AND SELF-MEDICATING DURING A FLT FROM LGB TO JFK.

Narrative: I FIRST ENCOUNTERED THIS PAX AFTER THE DOOR TO THE ACFT HAD CLOSED AND FLT ATTENDANT #1 SAID PREPARE FOR DEP. AFTER HER ANNOUNCEMENT TO THE PAX, I DID MY SAFETY CHKS AND ASKED THIS GENTLEMAN TO PUT HIS SEAT IN THE UPRIGHT POS FOR TKOF AND TURN OFF HIS PHONE. DOING A WALK-THROUGH, I AGAIN ASKED HIM TO PUT HIS SEAT IN THE UPRIGHT POS AND THEN AGAIN AFTER THE SAFETY VIDEO HAD FINISHED -- A TOTAL OF 3 TIMES. DURING PREDEP, HE HAD ASKED FOR A GLASS OF WATER. I WITNESSED THAT HE TOOK SOME MEDICATION. AT THIS TIME I DID NOT SMELL ALCOHOL ON HIM AND BECAUSE OF THE MEDICATION, ATTRIBUTED HIS NON COMPLIANCE WITH THE SEAT BACK AND CELL PHONE TO HIS MEDICATION. AFTER TKOF, WE BROUGHT THE CART UP AND I PREPARED TO OFFER HIM A BEVERAGE. HE ASKED FOR 2 BEERS. AT THIS TIME I EXCUSED MYSELF AND WALKED TO FIRST CLASS TO CONFER WITH FLT ATTENDANTS #1 AND #3. I DID NOT WANT TO SERVE HIM ANY ALCOHOL BECAUSE I SAW HIM TAKE MEDICATION AND HE SEEMED SLOW IN RESPONSE TO MY REQUESTS FOR SEAT BACK AND CELL PHONE REQUIREMENTS. THEY WANTED ME TO SERVE HIM, SO WE SETTLED ON 1 BEER. AFTER THAT BEER, HIS RESPONSIVENESS AND APPROPRIATENESS TO FUNCTION DECREASED DRAMATICALLY. HE WAS SEATED IN THE AISLE AND A FEMALE PAX WAS AT THE WINDOW. HE PROCEEDED TO LAY ON HER. SHE WAS FORCED TO MOVE TO ANOTHER SEAT BECAUSE HE DISREGARDED HER PERSONAL SPACE. HE CONTINUALLY TURNED ON HIS CELL PHONE UNTIL IT WAS FINALLY TAKEN AWAY FROM HIM. I INFORMED THE CAPT AFTER THE FIRST BEVERAGE SVC AND CONTINUALLY I OR #1 FLT ATTENDANT TALKED TO THE CAPT DURING THE FLT TO KEEP HIM AWARE OF THE SERIOUS PROB THAT COULD ESCALATE AT ANY MOMENT. WHEN WE DID OUR SECOND SVC WITH MEALS, HE WAS LAYING DOWN ON THE SEATS AND REQUESTED #1 FLT ATTENDANT TO LAY HIS FOOD TRAY ON HIS STOMACH. SHE ASKED HIM TO GET UP. HE DID NOT. SHE PLACED THE TRAY ON HIS STOMACH. HE MOVED AND THE TRAY SPILLED INTO THE SEATS. HE REFUSED TO PICK IT UP AND SWORE VULGARITIES AT #1 FLT ATTENDANT. I ASKED HIM IF HE WANTED A BEVERAGE. HE DID NOT RESPOND. HE WENT TO THE RESTROOM (LAVATORY) TWICE DURING THE FLT, BOTH TIMES BEING DISORIENTED AND HAVING DIFFICULTY WALKING, OR EVEN FASTENING HIS BELT. HE LEFT THE LAVATORY DIRTY, WITH TOILET PAPER EVERYWHERE. BOTH TIMES A FLT ATTENDANT REQUESTED HE RETURN TO THE LAVATORY TO CLEAN UP AFTER HIMSELF. HE DID SO. WE TALKED TO PAX SITTING AROUND HIM AND FOUND OUT HE WAS ACTING IN THIS MANNER IN THE LOBBY WAITING FOR THE FLT, MAKING PHONE CALLS AND SWEARING TO THE PERSON ON THE PHONE. DURING THE FLT, AFTER HIS PHONE HAD BEEN TAKEN AWAY FROM HIM, HE CONTINUALLY LOOKED/SEARCHED FOR HIS PHONE. ABOUT 1/2 WAY THROUGH THE FLT, A NEIGHBORING PAX HIT HIS CALL LIGHT. #1 FLT ATTENDANT WENT TO SEE WHAT THE PROB WAS. THE INTOXICATED PAX WAS DRINKING JOHNNY WALKER OUT OF A 750 ML BOTTLE AND 3/4 OF THE BOTTLE WAS GONE, THUS CONFIRMING HIS INTOXICATION. #1 FLT ATTENDANT TOOK THE BOTTLE AWAY FROM HIM. UPON ARR, WE CONFERRED WITH THE PLT TO HAVE MEDICAL MEET THE FLT. AFTER LNDG, THE PAX TRIED TO GET UP WHILE WE WERE STILL TAXIING TO THE JETBRIDGE. AFTER THE CAPT SAID PREPARE FOR ARR, I HAD TO STAND IN THE AISLE BESIDE HIS SEAT TO KEEP HIM SEATED UNTIL THE MEDICS CAME ABOARD TO DEPLANE HIM. THE PAX AROUND HIM WERE VERY GRACIOUS IN COMPLIMENTING OUR CREW WITH A JOB WELL DONE, AND CAPT WAS VERY SUPPORTIVE AND READY TO TAKE ANY ACTION FOR THE SAFETY OF OUR CREW/PAX/PLANE.

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.