Narrative:

I was flight attendant #4 flight from tjsj. I was at my boarding position at doors 2L/right on B757 aircraft. Passenger XXX boarded aircraft. Passenger was staggering and consistently talking about nothing as he was going to his seat. Passenger was with his wife; both seated at emergency exit row seats. I noticed as boarding continued; passenger went to aft aircraft after getting situated into his seat. Passenger then returned to his seat with glasses of ice in his hand. Flight attendant #2 contacted me via interphone and indicated passenger appeared to be intoxicated due to his actions. Flight attendant #2 asked passenger if he was consuming his own alcohol and passenger indicated no. Boarding was completed. I proceeded to brief exit row passenger. I briefed passenger and his wife and he continued to interrupt me. He appeared very edgy and distraction. Passenger briefing was complete. Passenger asked me about headsets on the aircraft and when and where he can get them. I indicated that they could be purchased after takeoff. He insisted. I then handed 2 pair of headsets to his wife. I indicated the charge. Passenger began emptying all of his pockets with all of his incidentals; wallet; etc; and dumped everything on the empty middle seat. Passenger was shaking and confused. Passenger wife raised her voice at her husband and indicated to forget the purchasing of headsets -- he could not locate his money. Headsets returned and passenger seemed very confused and continued to talk about nothing. I asked passenger if he was drinking in the airport terminal prior to boarding and he indicated no. Flight attendant #2 contacted purser via interphone and requested passenger service staff as well as captain should be advised of passenger prior to closing of aircraft door. I approached forward entry area and entire crew agreed that passenger should be further investigated regarding his state to travel in. Customer service manager and operational coordinator on jetbridge. Purser advised captain of situation. Passenger service staff came on board to speak to passenger; after about 2 mins they both returned and indicated to entire crew that passenger promised to behave for the duration of flight. He indicated to passenger service staff that he was on medication. Captain requested to speak to passenger. Passenger was asked to speak to captain on jetbridge. Passenger's wife followed and interrupted to say her husband only had 1 cocktail in airport. Passenger then spoke with captain alone at top of jetbridge. Within mins passenger both returned to aircraft and to their seats. Captain indicated that passenger was ok to travel since he had asked passenger to walk a straight line on jetbridge and he performed well. Cabin crew and I were concerned because none of us had ever heard of a cockpit or cabin crew member performing a sobriety test on a passenger. Captain requested to be reseated from exit row. Captain had no regard to flight attendant's concerns and made his own decision after performing his own sobriety test on passenger to transport passenger. Flight departed. During flight; passenger continued to apologize for all his actions; came to aft aircraft right after takeoff; said he needed a cup of coffee immediately. Cabin crew consistently receives messages regarding transporting passenger who appear to be intoxicated/medicated while traveling and flight attendants should be vigilant in recognizing this prior to takeoff.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B757 CABIN CREW IS CONCERNED WITH PAX BEHAVIOR PRIOR TO DEP.

Narrative: I WAS FLT ATTENDANT #4 FLT FROM TJSJ. I WAS AT MY BOARDING POS AT DOORS 2L/R ON B757 ACFT. PAX XXX BOARDED ACFT. PAX WAS STAGGERING AND CONSISTENTLY TALKING ABOUT NOTHING AS HE WAS GOING TO HIS SEAT. PAX WAS WITH HIS WIFE; BOTH SEATED AT EMER EXIT ROW SEATS. I NOTICED AS BOARDING CONTINUED; PAX WENT TO AFT ACFT AFTER GETTING SITUATED INTO HIS SEAT. PAX THEN RETURNED TO HIS SEAT WITH GLASSES OF ICE IN HIS HAND. FLT ATTENDANT #2 CONTACTED ME VIA INTERPHONE AND INDICATED PAX APPEARED TO BE INTOXICATED DUE TO HIS ACTIONS. FLT ATTENDANT #2 ASKED PAX IF HE WAS CONSUMING HIS OWN ALCOHOL AND PAX INDICATED NO. BOARDING WAS COMPLETED. I PROCEEDED TO BRIEF EXIT ROW PAX. I BRIEFED PAX AND HIS WIFE AND HE CONTINUED TO INTERRUPT ME. HE APPEARED VERY EDGY AND DISTR. PAX BRIEFING WAS COMPLETE. PAX ASKED ME ABOUT HEADSETS ON THE ACFT AND WHEN AND WHERE HE CAN GET THEM. I INDICATED THAT THEY COULD BE PURCHASED AFTER TKOF. HE INSISTED. I THEN HANDED 2 PAIR OF HEADSETS TO HIS WIFE. I INDICATED THE CHARGE. PAX BEGAN EMPTYING ALL OF HIS POCKETS WITH ALL OF HIS INCIDENTALS; WALLET; ETC; AND DUMPED EVERYTHING ON THE EMPTY MIDDLE SEAT. PAX WAS SHAKING AND CONFUSED. PAX WIFE RAISED HER VOICE AT HER HUSBAND AND INDICATED TO FORGET THE PURCHASING OF HEADSETS -- HE COULD NOT LOCATE HIS MONEY. HEADSETS RETURNED AND PAX SEEMED VERY CONFUSED AND CONTINUED TO TALK ABOUT NOTHING. I ASKED PAX IF HE WAS DRINKING IN THE ARPT TERMINAL PRIOR TO BOARDING AND HE INDICATED NO. FLT ATTENDANT #2 CONTACTED PURSER VIA INTERPHONE AND REQUESTED PAX SVC STAFF AS WELL AS CAPT SHOULD BE ADVISED OF PAX PRIOR TO CLOSING OF ACFT DOOR. I APCHED FORWARD ENTRY AREA AND ENTIRE CREW AGREED THAT PAX SHOULD BE FURTHER INVESTIGATED REGARDING HIS STATE TO TRAVEL IN. CUSTOMER SVC MGR AND OPERATIONAL COORDINATOR ON JETBRIDGE. PURSER ADVISED CAPT OF SIT. PAX SVC STAFF CAME ON BOARD TO SPEAK TO PAX; AFTER ABOUT 2 MINS THEY BOTH RETURNED AND INDICATED TO ENTIRE CREW THAT PAX PROMISED TO BEHAVE FOR THE DURATION OF FLT. HE INDICATED TO PAX SVC STAFF THAT HE WAS ON MEDICATION. CAPT REQUESTED TO SPEAK TO PAX. PAX WAS ASKED TO SPEAK TO CAPT ON JETBRIDGE. PAX'S WIFE FOLLOWED AND INTERRUPTED TO SAY HER HUSBAND ONLY HAD 1 COCKTAIL IN ARPT. PAX THEN SPOKE WITH CAPT ALONE AT TOP OF JETBRIDGE. WITHIN MINS PAX BOTH RETURNED TO ACFT AND TO THEIR SEATS. CAPT INDICATED THAT PAX WAS OK TO TRAVEL SINCE HE HAD ASKED PAX TO WALK A STRAIGHT LINE ON JETBRIDGE AND HE PERFORMED WELL. CABIN CREW AND I WERE CONCERNED BECAUSE NONE OF US HAD EVER HEARD OF A COCKPIT OR CABIN CREW MEMBER PERFORMING A SOBRIETY TEST ON A PAX. CAPT REQUESTED TO BE RESEATED FROM EXIT ROW. CAPT HAD NO REGARD TO FLT ATTENDANT'S CONCERNS AND MADE HIS OWN DECISION AFTER PERFORMING HIS OWN SOBRIETY TEST ON PAX TO TRANSPORT PAX. FLT DEPARTED. DURING FLT; PAX CONTINUED TO APOLOGIZE FOR ALL HIS ACTIONS; CAME TO AFT ACFT RIGHT AFTER TKOF; SAID HE NEEDED A CUP OF COFFEE IMMEDIATELY. CABIN CREW CONSISTENTLY RECEIVES MESSAGES REGARDING TRANSPORTING PAX WHO APPEAR TO BE INTOXICATED/MEDICATED WHILE TRAVELING AND FLT ATTENDANTS SHOULD BE VIGILANT IN RECOGNIZING THIS PRIOR TO TKOF.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.