Originally Posted by
CART_Flagman
Hmm... several of the airline employees noticed her but did not feel she drunk that they couldn't let her fly. Other passengers didn't complain, or at least you didn't say they did. You didn't say the boy was crying or in any distress. You only stated that they were speaking load and talking on a cell phone - which is really hard to believe you would get a signal 7 miles up in the air.
Apparently, the extra wine didn't cause her to swear or hit her kid or not have her seat belt fastened. What gives? Just two passengers behind them that had nothing better to do with their time that continually "watch" another passenger and make comments behind that person's back. There is a thing called "karma", you know.
Gosh, I guess I better watch out if I have a couple of pre-flight drinks on an empty stomach next time I fly with my family... could get hauled off the plane for it.
For all you know, she could have been on medication or some other problem.
Your statements are, quite frankly, completely unfair and uncalled for.
The situation has nothing to do with the OP passing judgement on this passenger, or whether or not other passengers complained or the passenger threatened anyone or scared her child in anyway.
The situation has EVERYTHING to do do with inflight safety. Among a variety of other effects, the most concerning effects of intoxication for this situation are a the impairment of judgement and loss of inhibitions; and the manifestations of these effects are unpredictable even in individuals who are not naive to the substance with which they are intoxicated. This is further confounded by the effect of the altitude at which the flight takes place and the cabin pressure. I'm sure no one is begging for a complete scientific explanation here - suffice it to say what the airlines and FAA are trying to avoid by denying boarding to intoxicated persons and not over-serving passengers is a situation in which Ms. 1D who normally handles her alcohol quite well for the first time ever has a severe lapse in judgement and loss of inhibitions, assaults the flight attendant, and attempts to open the forward door. Sound far-fetched? Don't forget that the Jet Blue flight attendant managed to exit his flight via the emergency exit while on the ground...and to my knowledge this was only under the influence of stress, without the help of any substances.
Therefore, I think the OP has every right to be concerned, and from the sounds of things probably SHOULD write a note to customer care.
And with regard to your concern about having a couple of drinks on an empty stomach - if there's any chance you'll demonstrate signs of belligerence or intoxication, you probably should watch out next time you're in that situation. To my knowledge, any airline employee has the right to deny you boarding WITHOUT significant proof if there is suspicion of a potential problem...and I think the FAA protects this.