dstan

CNN: Flight attendant's outburst delays flight

enviroian

When I first read the story I just laughed to myself and said wow what a nut job. Now, after seeing this I feel very sorry for the woman as it's clear she has had a complete nervous/mental breakdown.

Seeing everyone with their iphones filming...also very odd but also a reminder of the day and age we live in.

DocTravel

Thankfully they were still on the ground at the time. I can not imagine that happening at 30,000 feet.

Seems this has a stressed out element to it and as posters have said, hopefully she will get the help she needs.

sonofzeus

Don't forget the mega solar flares and particle blasts.

http://idealab.talkingpointsmemo.com...-news+(TPMNews)

freeupgrade

I also wish the FA all the best in getting the help she needs.

I would imagine the Captain hauled it right back to the gate asap....

BingBongBoy

I hope the lady makes a speedy recovery and is well cared for.

Dealing with the public is challenging at the best of times. Throw in an airport, a metal tube in the sky, the cost cutting, passenger gripes and too much hand luggage and it is a ticking time bomb.

austin_modern

They dont call it work for nothing....

txrus

Just saw a clip of this on the news (looks like it was taken by a pax in first class while the other FA's tried to get the ranting FA away from the mic).

While admitting 'we' truly don't know what happened here, & it could have been a medication reaction, but...

When you spend your working life in an environment where everything & everyone is viewed as 'suspicious', it's going to take a toll on a person's mental health eventually.

I'm honestly surprised there haven't been more of these types of situations.

sica4

My first thoughts too, not that there would have been any more physical risk, but too have one of the few uniformed crew members freaking out could easily cause some sort of mass hysteria onboard the plane.

bbkenney

I have heard this 3 times now, nbc5i twice and NBC evening news. All 3 accounts stated that the FA is facing no charges. This is very wrong IMHO. The reason I say that is that if I did the exact same thing I would, this very night, be hanging by my ankles in Lew Sterret.

bbkenney

Well said. I was going to add that no other occupations have to keep customers happy and its one day of play after another.

UVU Wolverine

This is a very interesting case as passengers actually helped the situation rather than caused it (though, the root cause was probably passengers).

As unfortunate as the situation was, I think this will help the general public realize that passengers too can help situations on an aircraft. Delta/Northwest flight #253 was another example of this, though much more extreme a condition. However, hopefully people will see that passengers can be the best asset when dealing with unusual circumstances within the aircraft.

It begs a great question; what do passengers do when the people on the aircraft, who are on there primarily for safety, act in abnormal ways?

I don't know the exact details of the situation yet, however I think that this situation was greatly enhanced by passengers.

honu

Sad really, but it's quite possible that, had the person off their meds been a pax instead of crew, they would have been killed on the spot, rather than being restrained... Shoot first, ask questions later... didn't that happen on a WN flight and on an AA flight a few years ago? I don't know if you should charge someone for being off their meds (I also don't know if someone who needs to take this kind of meds should be dealing with the public in a highly stressful job as an FA). I just think nobody should be shot dead for having a meltdown - unpleasant as it is - in a public venue (unless they're armed and dangerous, of course).

JDiver

So, you think she should be held accountable and what, sent to prison, for an emotional breakdown? She will undoubtedly be found unfit to fly for some time, maybe retired. If she actually had done something planned and of sound mind, something criminal, she will be terminated and possibly referred to the authorities - but... even at this stage of the game law enforcement, the FAA, the FBI -all were contacted - have chosen to not lay any charges.

I think most AA FAs have been dealing with significant tension for some years - the givebacks, September 11 2001 when they lost a number of colleagues (possibly known to the FA who broke down), polarizing contract negotiations, day to day passengers with everything form DYKWIA to seeing themselves in conflict with FAs telling them to turn off their electronics etc., Chapter 11 (many do not know what that is it just sounds threatening, as does trying to move pension responsibilities off to the PBGC), etc. Add the stuff life doles out - death, divorce, changes in physiology and psychology, you have some wound up people. Add a soupcon of bipolar or whatever, you have someone go off tilt.

Not the end of the world. Even in the air, the cockpit door is secured and locked, unlike it shows in the movies no cabin door under lock and pressure can be opened, and others would have restrained her.

bernardd

A very sound and rational comment given the very limited facts available. These kind of events are a bit like aircraft accidents - there's rarely a single cause - it usually takes a lot of things to line up before someone will react like this.