Narrative:

2 jumpseaters idented themselves to me. The first sat down and the second attempted to store 3 large bags in the cockpit. I told him there was no room and to take the bags to the aircraft pit. He explained this was his first trip to ZZZ because he was xferring to ZZZ1 from the recently closed ZZZ2 and wasn't familiar with current jumpseat baggage procedures. He brought his bags to the pit, returned to the cockpit and sat down. Just prior to pushback, the csr asked to see me on the jetway. She said she felt the second jumpseater had been drinking and wanted me to know. I thanked her and returned to the cockpit. Under the guise of adjusting something behind my seat, I leaned over directly in front of the second jumpseater attempting to see if I could smell alcohol. I could not. Since I could not smell alcohol and the individual was sitting quietly on his jumpseat not exhibiting any other signs of having been drinking I elected to begin the flight. During the flight, I wrote a note that I showed to my first officer and the first jumpseater. The individual in question could not see it, it stated the csr's concerns and asked if they thought this individual had been drinking. My first officer shook his head no. The first jumpseater shook his head yes. During the flight all 4 of us spoke amongst ourselves and several times the individual in question inferred how difficult the change of domicile was for him, ie, he was not used to jumpseating, didn't know the location and door codes of certain facilities at ZZZ2 and that the evening's flight to a foreign airport would be a long one. I got the impression he was a bit overwhelmed by his first day and first flight from his new domicile. After landing, I spoke to this individual at ZZZ and told him of the departure airport csr's concerns. He denied he had been drinking but admitted he had had a problem in the past. I still did not smell alcohol on his breath. I then spoke to the first jumpseater who said that, upon deplaning, the individual in question was unsteady walking up the jetway. At this point, based on the csr's impressions, the first jumpseater's observations, and what the individual told me of his previous problem, I spoke with a manager who pursued the issue from there.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A320 PIC ALLOWS A JUMPSEATER TO CONTINUE ON FLT FROM DEP ARPT ALTHOUGH SUSPICIOUS THAT SUBJECT COMPANY PLT PAX HAD BEEN DRINKING PRIOR TO FLT.

Narrative: 2 JUMPSEATERS IDENTED THEMSELVES TO ME. THE FIRST SAT DOWN AND THE SECOND ATTEMPTED TO STORE 3 LARGE BAGS IN THE COCKPIT. I TOLD HIM THERE WAS NO ROOM AND TO TAKE THE BAGS TO THE ACFT PIT. HE EXPLAINED THIS WAS HIS FIRST TRIP TO ZZZ BECAUSE HE WAS XFERRING TO ZZZ1 FROM THE RECENTLY CLOSED ZZZ2 AND WASN'T FAMILIAR WITH CURRENT JUMPSEAT BAGGAGE PROCS. HE BROUGHT HIS BAGS TO THE PIT, RETURNED TO THE COCKPIT AND SAT DOWN. JUST PRIOR TO PUSHBACK, THE CSR ASKED TO SEE ME ON THE JETWAY. SHE SAID SHE FELT THE SECOND JUMPSEATER HAD BEEN DRINKING AND WANTED ME TO KNOW. I THANKED HER AND RETURNED TO THE COCKPIT. UNDER THE GUISE OF ADJUSTING SOMETHING BEHIND MY SEAT, I LEANED OVER DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF THE SECOND JUMPSEATER ATTEMPTING TO SEE IF I COULD SMELL ALCOHOL. I COULD NOT. SINCE I COULD NOT SMELL ALCOHOL AND THE INDIVIDUAL WAS SITTING QUIETLY ON HIS JUMPSEAT NOT EXHIBITING ANY OTHER SIGNS OF HAVING BEEN DRINKING I ELECTED TO BEGIN THE FLT. DURING THE FLT, I WROTE A NOTE THAT I SHOWED TO MY FO AND THE FIRST JUMPSEATER. THE INDIVIDUAL IN QUESTION COULD NOT SEE IT, IT STATED THE CSR'S CONCERNS AND ASKED IF THEY THOUGHT THIS INDIVIDUAL HAD BEEN DRINKING. MY FO SHOOK HIS HEAD NO. THE FIRST JUMPSEATER SHOOK HIS HEAD YES. DURING THE FLT ALL 4 OF US SPOKE AMONGST OURSELVES AND SEVERAL TIMES THE INDIVIDUAL IN QUESTION INFERRED HOW DIFFICULT THE CHANGE OF DOMICILE WAS FOR HIM, IE, HE WAS NOT USED TO JUMPSEATING, DIDN'T KNOW THE LOCATION AND DOOR CODES OF CERTAIN FACILITIES AT ZZZ2 AND THAT THE EVENING'S FLT TO A FOREIGN ARPT WOULD BE A LONG ONE. I GOT THE IMPRESSION HE WAS A BIT OVERWHELMED BY HIS FIRST DAY AND FIRST FLT FROM HIS NEW DOMICILE. AFTER LNDG, I SPOKE TO THIS INDIVIDUAL AT ZZZ AND TOLD HIM OF THE DEP ARPT CSR'S CONCERNS. HE DENIED HE HAD BEEN DRINKING BUT ADMITTED HE HAD HAD A PROB IN THE PAST. I STILL DID NOT SMELL ALCOHOL ON HIS BREATH. I THEN SPOKE TO THE FIRST JUMPSEATER WHO SAID THAT, UPON DEPLANING, THE INDIVIDUAL IN QUESTION WAS UNSTEADY WALKING UP THE JETWAY. AT THIS POINT, BASED ON THE CSR'S IMPRESSIONS, THE FIRST JUMPSEATER'S OBSERVATIONS, AND WHAT THE INDIVIDUAL TOLD ME OF HIS PREVIOUS PROB, I SPOKE WITH A MGR WHO PURSUED THE ISSUE FROM THERE.

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.