Narrative:

I was doing the final safety check when I got to row xx; passenger sleeping. I told passenger; 'she needed to be upright for landing.' she told me to 'get away.' I repeated 'you need to be upright for landing.' passenger unbuckled her seat belt; came upright and slapped me. She was trying to hit my face but I blocked my face with my arm. She hit my arm. I called the #1 flight attendant (first class) and told her passenger slapped me. She came running back with forms and asked passenger if she hit me. She said passenger said she was stretching. She said 'call captain.' we were just about to land so I said as soon as we are on the ground. We landed; I waited till the airplane slowed down. I called (2 chimes) the captain. He said 'this better be an emergency.' I said 'the passenger in xxa slapped me; call the police.' he said 'not an emergency. I will talk to you later.' he called back a few mins later. He said 'what do you want to do?' I said 'shouldn't we call the police?' he said 'what do you want to do?' I asked 'what is procedure?' he said 'do you know the passenger's name?' I said 'the paperwork the #1 flight attendant gave me had a man's name.' he said 'find out the information. If they don't comply; I will call the police.' they did not comply. 1) walked off the airplane with passenger; no police. Passenger service rep was there. I turned over passenger. Captain said I need to talk to you. He then said 'don't ever break sterile cockpit unless the airplane is on fire and I mean burning.' after the captain left; the first officer came up to me and said 'I completely disagree with the captain. Call the police.' callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter advised she had initiated action through both flight attendant and flight operations departments and contacted company security and management personnel regarding this event and has received no support in pursuit of a legal resolution or even a sympathetic ear. She also contacted her union; which is making some attempt to get the company to commit to a serious course of action in events of this type; thus far without success. Reporter reiterated she addressed this event as a level two security incident per her training and company manuals. She is dismayed that their concern regarding what they themselves classify as serious security events in their training syllabus and federally approved manuals is pragmatically addressed as a non event; and that those on the scene who failed to take action (that might have embarrassed a paying passenger) were praised for ignoring the incident.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CABIN ATTENDANT RPTS BEING SLAPPED BY A FEMALE PAX WHEN SHE AWOKE HER TO PROPERLY POS HER SEAT FOR LNDG. RPTS TO THE FLT CREW AND THE COMPANY ABOUT THE ASSAULT AND BREACH OF SECURITY WERE NOT ACTED ON.

Narrative: I WAS DOING THE FINAL SAFETY CHK WHEN I GOT TO ROW XX; PAX SLEEPING. I TOLD PAX; 'SHE NEEDED TO BE UPRIGHT FOR LNDG.' SHE TOLD ME TO 'GET AWAY.' I REPEATED 'YOU NEED TO BE UPRIGHT FOR LNDG.' PAX UNBUCKLED HER SEAT BELT; CAME UPRIGHT AND SLAPPED ME. SHE WAS TRYING TO HIT MY FACE BUT I BLOCKED MY FACE WITH MY ARM. SHE HIT MY ARM. I CALLED THE #1 FLT ATTENDANT (FIRST CLASS) AND TOLD HER PAX SLAPPED ME. SHE CAME RUNNING BACK WITH FORMS AND ASKED PAX IF SHE HIT ME. SHE SAID PAX SAID SHE WAS STRETCHING. SHE SAID 'CALL CAPT.' WE WERE JUST ABOUT TO LAND SO I SAID AS SOON AS WE ARE ON THE GND. WE LANDED; I WAITED TILL THE AIRPLANE SLOWED DOWN. I CALLED (2 CHIMES) THE CAPT. HE SAID 'THIS BETTER BE AN EMER.' I SAID 'THE PAX IN XXA SLAPPED ME; CALL THE POLICE.' HE SAID 'NOT AN EMER. I WILL TALK TO YOU LATER.' HE CALLED BACK A FEW MINS LATER. HE SAID 'WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO?' I SAID 'SHOULDN'T WE CALL THE POLICE?' HE SAID 'WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO?' I ASKED 'WHAT IS PROC?' HE SAID 'DO YOU KNOW THE PAX'S NAME?' I SAID 'THE PAPERWORK THE #1 FLT ATTENDANT GAVE ME HAD A MAN'S NAME.' HE SAID 'FIND OUT THE INFO. IF THEY DON'T COMPLY; I WILL CALL THE POLICE.' THEY DID NOT COMPLY. 1) WALKED OFF THE AIRPLANE WITH PAX; NO POLICE. PAX SVC REP WAS THERE. I TURNED OVER PAX. CAPT SAID I NEED TO TALK TO YOU. HE THEN SAID 'DON'T EVER BREAK STERILE COCKPIT UNLESS THE AIRPLANE IS ON FIRE AND I MEAN BURNING.' AFTER THE CAPT LEFT; THE FO CAME UP TO ME AND SAID 'I COMPLETELY DISAGREE WITH THE CAPT. CALL THE POLICE.' CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR ADVISED SHE HAD INITIATED ACTION THROUGH BOTH FLT ATTENDANT AND FLT OPS DEPTS AND CONTACTED COMPANY SECURITY AND MGMNT PERSONNEL REGARDING THIS EVENT AND HAS RECEIVED NO SUPPORT IN PURSUIT OF A LEGAL RESOLUTION OR EVEN A SYMPATHETIC EAR. SHE ALSO CONTACTED HER UNION; WHICH IS MAKING SOME ATTEMPT TO GET THE COMPANY TO COMMIT TO A SERIOUS COURSE OF ACTION IN EVENTS OF THIS TYPE; THUS FAR WITHOUT SUCCESS. RPTR REITERATED SHE ADDRESSED THIS EVENT AS A LEVEL TWO SECURITY INCIDENT PER HER TRAINING AND COMPANY MANUALS. SHE IS DISMAYED THAT THEIR CONCERN REGARDING WHAT THEY THEMSELVES CLASSIFY AS SERIOUS SECURITY EVENTS IN THEIR TRAINING SYLLABUS AND FEDERALLY APPROVED MANUALS IS PRAGMATICALLY ADDRESSED AS A NON EVENT; AND THAT THOSE ON THE SCENE WHO FAILED TO TAKE ACTION (THAT MIGHT HAVE EMBARRASSED A PAYING PAX) WERE PRAISED FOR IGNORING THE INCIDENT.

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.