Narrative:

As I have done since sep 2001; I have taken a head count before the cust service rep comes down with the final paperwork. I do this as purser and as a working crew member to ensure the safety of the crew as well as our passenger. There have been some occasions where we have left the gate due to 'on-time' departures; however; for the most part; flight attendant crews as well as cust service have been able to resolve the problem at the gate to the crew's liking. As we are on 'heightened' awareness; I feel that crews should be especially vigilant of this 'zero tolerance' that we once used to have in place here at air carrier X. Having said this; our gate this evening changed a few times due to a delayed departure and we were moved over to gate X this evening with a 14 min delay posted. When we boarded the aircraft; catering was in the process of changing out the galleys as well as we had to call the cleaners to come and clean the plane. Our pilots boarded and wanted to board immediately thinking that we could make our original departure time. As purser; I informed them that we were waiting on the cleaners and we proceeded without briefing. Nothing out of the ordinary. A thorough briefing from the captain and he asked if I had anything to add. To which I then said as always; 'I make sure that I have an actual headcount and that it matches the paperwork; would you mind backing me up?' captain replied that he would. Set to depart at XA59; I made sure that we had a headcount. We had 130 passenger in economy and 24 up front. I called up to cust service to see if we were expecting any other passenger; and they said that we were waiting on 6 more. I then tried to confirm that there were 130 passenger supposed to be in economy. She said that we had 151. I said that was too large of a discrepancy and I was uncomfortable going with that. I then informed the captain of this issue as well as another. While boarding mr X and ms X took at least 5 drinks from passenger who were boarding. Aren't security measures in place that passenger are not allowed to bring any liquid substances on board? We called the cust service about this and she said 'oh yeah; I forgot.' so we placed these items in a bag and disposed of them on the jetbridge. The captain also agreed that this should not have happened. The cust service was still adamant on the fact that there were 151 people on board. We took 5 headcounts that resulted in 130 passenger. Then another boarded; so we now had 131. The cust service then came down after she called a cust service supervisor to take her own head count. This was happening around XB05. In the meantime; the cust service counted the whole cabin and said that she was correct. She said that we had our 151 passenger. She was including passenger from the whole aircraft; and then said that we were good to go. Well; 131+24 equals 155. This does not equal 151. So now we are 4 over. And they wanted to close the door. The captain then told me that with that little of a discrepancy that we were ok to go according to 'air carrier X policy.' I said that I was not; not in lieu of recent events and cust service not having any idea of the discrepancy and where it laid. In the meantime; as the captain and I were having a discussion; the cust service supervisor was able to resolve the count discrepancy by calling names of people who she didn't think had boarded. I was ok then going with the count correct. The fact that really disturbs me is that the captain was pressuring the crew to take this flight when most of us were uncomfortable. As well as him saying that he didn't care we needed to get this flight out on time. Well an inaccurate account as well as the fact that I know a knife was found on board several days ago; heightened security; and passenger boarding with their own liquids does not constitute me feeling safe when there is a discrepancy in the head count. We should be watching out for the safety of human lives; as opposed to on-time departure; which we have already surpassed. They finally closed the door around XB15. We then sat at the jetbridge until XB33 until we pushed due to cargo. We; flight attendants; should not be put ina position where we feel that we are compromising our lives; in order to get the doors closed; especially when there is no reason when cargo doors are still opened. This is a time of heightened awareness and when we have to endure full scrutiny at security and the threat of a terror attack all we are asking is that we are allowed to make sure that proper security measures are taken aboard.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A CABIN ATTENDANT POINTS OUT DIFFICULTY WITH ACCURATE PAX COUNTS AND COMPLIANCE WITH SECURITY MEASURES DURING BOARDING.

Narrative: AS I HAVE DONE SINCE SEP 2001; I HAVE TAKEN A HEAD COUNT BEFORE THE CUST SVC REP COMES DOWN WITH THE FINAL PAPERWORK. I DO THIS AS PURSER AND AS A WORKING CREW MEMBER TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF THE CREW AS WELL AS OUR PAX. THERE HAVE BEEN SOME OCCASIONS WHERE WE HAVE LEFT THE GATE DUE TO 'ON-TIME' DEPS; HOWEVER; FOR THE MOST PART; FLT ATTENDANT CREWS AS WELL AS CUST SVC HAVE BEEN ABLE TO RESOLVE THE PROB AT THE GATE TO THE CREW'S LIKING. AS WE ARE ON 'HEIGHTENED' AWARENESS; I FEEL THAT CREWS SHOULD BE ESPECIALLY VIGILANT OF THIS 'ZERO TOLERANCE' THAT WE ONCE USED TO HAVE IN PLACE HERE AT ACR X. HAVING SAID THIS; OUR GATE THIS EVENING CHANGED A FEW TIMES DUE TO A DELAYED DEP AND WE WERE MOVED OVER TO GATE X THIS EVENING WITH A 14 MIN DELAY POSTED. WHEN WE BOARDED THE ACFT; CATERING WAS IN THE PROCESS OF CHANGING OUT THE GALLEYS AS WELL AS WE HAD TO CALL THE CLEANERS TO COME AND CLEAN THE PLANE. OUR PLTS BOARDED AND WANTED TO BOARD IMMEDIATELY THINKING THAT WE COULD MAKE OUR ORIGINAL DEP TIME. AS PURSER; I INFORMED THEM THAT WE WERE WAITING ON THE CLEANERS AND WE PROCEEDED WITHOUT BRIEFING. NOTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY. A THOROUGH BRIEFING FROM THE CAPT AND HE ASKED IF I HAD ANYTHING TO ADD. TO WHICH I THEN SAID AS ALWAYS; 'I MAKE SURE THAT I HAVE AN ACTUAL HEADCOUNT AND THAT IT MATCHES THE PAPERWORK; WOULD YOU MIND BACKING ME UP?' CAPT REPLIED THAT HE WOULD. SET TO DEPART AT XA59; I MADE SURE THAT WE HAD A HEADCOUNT. WE HAD 130 PAX IN ECONOMY AND 24 UP FRONT. I CALLED UP TO CUST SVC TO SEE IF WE WERE EXPECTING ANY OTHER PAX; AND THEY SAID THAT WE WERE WAITING ON 6 MORE. I THEN TRIED TO CONFIRM THAT THERE WERE 130 PAX SUPPOSED TO BE IN ECONOMY. SHE SAID THAT WE HAD 151. I SAID THAT WAS TOO LARGE OF A DISCREPANCY AND I WAS UNCOMFORTABLE GOING WITH THAT. I THEN INFORMED THE CAPT OF THIS ISSUE AS WELL AS ANOTHER. WHILE BOARDING MR X AND MS X TOOK AT LEAST 5 DRINKS FROM PAX WHO WERE BOARDING. AREN'T SECURITY MEASURES IN PLACE THAT PAX ARE NOT ALLOWED TO BRING ANY LIQUID SUBSTANCES ON BOARD? WE CALLED THE CUST SVC ABOUT THIS AND SHE SAID 'OH YEAH; I FORGOT.' SO WE PLACED THESE ITEMS IN A BAG AND DISPOSED OF THEM ON THE JETBRIDGE. THE CAPT ALSO AGREED THAT THIS SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED. THE CUST SVC WAS STILL ADAMANT ON THE FACT THAT THERE WERE 151 PEOPLE ON BOARD. WE TOOK 5 HEADCOUNTS THAT RESULTED IN 130 PAX. THEN ANOTHER BOARDED; SO WE NOW HAD 131. THE CUST SVC THEN CAME DOWN AFTER SHE CALLED A CUST SVC SUPVR TO TAKE HER OWN HEAD COUNT. THIS WAS HAPPENING AROUND XB05. IN THE MEANTIME; THE CUST SVC COUNTED THE WHOLE CABIN AND SAID THAT SHE WAS CORRECT. SHE SAID THAT WE HAD OUR 151 PAX. SHE WAS INCLUDING PAX FROM THE WHOLE ACFT; AND THEN SAID THAT WE WERE GOOD TO GO. WELL; 131+24 EQUALS 155. THIS DOES NOT EQUAL 151. SO NOW WE ARE 4 OVER. AND THEY WANTED TO CLOSE THE DOOR. THE CAPT THEN TOLD ME THAT WITH THAT LITTLE OF A DISCREPANCY THAT WE WERE OK TO GO ACCORDING TO 'ACR X POLICY.' I SAID THAT I WAS NOT; NOT IN LIEU OF RECENT EVENTS AND CUST SVC NOT HAVING ANY IDEA OF THE DISCREPANCY AND WHERE IT LAID. IN THE MEANTIME; AS THE CAPT AND I WERE HAVING A DISCUSSION; THE CUST SVC SUPVR WAS ABLE TO RESOLVE THE COUNT DISCREPANCY BY CALLING NAMES OF PEOPLE WHO SHE DIDN'T THINK HAD BOARDED. I WAS OK THEN GOING WITH THE COUNT CORRECT. THE FACT THAT REALLY DISTURBS ME IS THAT THE CAPT WAS PRESSURING THE CREW TO TAKE THIS FLT WHEN MOST OF US WERE UNCOMFORTABLE. AS WELL AS HIM SAYING THAT HE DIDN'T CARE WE NEEDED TO GET THIS FLT OUT ON TIME. WELL AN INACCURATE ACCOUNT AS WELL AS THE FACT THAT I KNOW A KNIFE WAS FOUND ON BOARD SEVERAL DAYS AGO; HEIGHTENED SECURITY; AND PAX BOARDING WITH THEIR OWN LIQUIDS DOES NOT CONSTITUTE ME FEELING SAFE WHEN THERE IS A DISCREPANCY IN THE HEAD COUNT. WE SHOULD BE WATCHING OUT FOR THE SAFETY OF HUMAN LIVES; AS OPPOSED TO ON-TIME DEP; WHICH WE HAVE ALREADY SURPASSED. THEY FINALLY CLOSED THE DOOR AROUND XB15. WE THEN SAT AT THE JETBRIDGE UNTIL XB33 UNTIL WE PUSHED DUE TO CARGO. WE; FLT ATTENDANTS; SHOULD NOT BE PUT INA POS WHERE WE FEEL THAT WE ARE COMPROMISING OUR LIVES; IN ORDER TO GET THE DOORS CLOSED; ESPECIALLY WHEN THERE IS NO REASON WHEN CARGO DOORS ARE STILL OPENED. THIS IS A TIME OF HEIGHTENED AWARENESS AND WHEN WE HAVE TO ENDURE FULL SCRUTINY AT SECURITY AND THE THREAT OF A TERROR ATTACK ALL WE ARE ASKING IS THAT WE ARE ALLOWED TO MAKE SURE THAT PROPER SECURITY MEASURES ARE TAKEN ABOARD.

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.