slawecki

i have only come across one serious drunk passenger. he was in an RCC. the manager of the bar in the RCC told the guy he would not be allowed on the plane.

SPBanker

Well, the OP started similar thread in April 2015, and it got locked. Obsession, you say?

I've flown quite a bit during the past 25 years, and I have exactly one bad experience with a drunken person aboard. In 1999 SFO-HEL a passenger opened his own bottle during boarding. He was warned, but he did it again during taxiing. FA said there would be no next warning, he'd be offloaded and the plane would be delayed. His friends had a few words with him, he slept like a baby for the next eight hours.

I don't understand the obsession some people have about what other people do aboard planes.

pinniped

I came across one in 1998 at a US gate in Philly, during bad weather. He was berating a US agent for...something, didn't really matter what. Typical DYKWIA stuff...threatening to write letters to get her fired, etc. Very wasted, loud, slurring, etc. I gave the agent a business card, offering to relate my version of what happened if she ever needed it. She just smiled and said it wasn't necessary...I quickly understood what she meant when, 2 minutes later, Philadelphia's finest showed up to remove the drunk, perhaps to some city-provided lodging for the evening.

MSPeconomist

For me, two. However, one was an off-duty pilot who had just captained the LHR-JFK flight. He was grabbing at FAs and when our flight diverted back to JFK due to weather, a bunch of FC passengers reported the guy. I would hope that there were consequences. This was a while ago, but not such a long time ago that grabbing female employees or other forms of sexual harassment would have been acceptable.

Rebelyell

Like the other posters, I've never seen a really disruptive drunk passenger. I've seen a few that were a little too loud from drinking. But by all means, if a person is drunk enough to really create a disruption that requires diversion they should be banned for life.

But why stop with drinking? I don't know if the "cracker rage" guy was drunk, but he certainly needs to be banned for life. There are other air rage incidents that don't involve alcohol. Those responsible should be banned if a diversion is necessary or if the police have to be called.

We're all aware of seat poachers who refuse to move. Ban them for life. When enough jerks start having to travel on Amtrak then the bad behavior on planes will end.

Tchiowa

Agree completely. I've predicted, and still do, that eventually airlines will ban alcohol consumption on planes completely.

It's not anti-alcohol.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

One bad experience with a drunk on a plane is one more than people should be subjected to.

I don't understand the obsession some people have about the need to drink alcohol on a plane.

You're in a confined space where if someone is loud and boisterous you can't get up and leave the room.

Doc Savage

I, for one, am glad rumbataz finally found something important enough to complain about.

MSPeconomist

The problem with imposing a ban for life is that the decisions of crew can be so arbitrary and unfair. Sometimes crew or airline staff call the cops for no reason other than to exert their authority and get even with someone whom they don't like or whom they fear might file a complaint with the airline over genuinely rude and bad behavior by the employee.

CPRich

Because it was a news story posted today, related to flying. And this is a forum dedicated to flying, and discussing related news.

And where's the "anti-alcohol" part, anyway?

obscure2k

Once sat next to a man who got crazier and crazier after each trip to the lav. Obvious he was using cocaine. When we landed he became paranoid and was convinced that the airplanes on the runway were coming for him. I am less concerned about the obvious effects and smell of alcohol than the more subtle and nasty effects of that white powder.

LondonElite

I was referring to this earlier discussion on alcohol on board...

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...hol-board.html

rumbataz

Thank you. You saved me the hassle of having to spell it out.

I'm amazed that just because people haven't experienced an abusive drunken passenger on one of their flights, they consider the problem of people boarding flights in a drunken state as a non-issue.

I would imagine it's a really big deal for crew to call the police to meet the aircraft upon landing.

I would be very surprised if a cabin crew member would get the police called simply because they didn't like a passenger!

Don't they have to seek advice and an opinion from the cockpit and the captain makes the decision?

Calchas

If a pax disobeys crew instructions that is grounds for arrest on landing. The captain is not going to question the crew's opinion on the matter; that is just poor leadership.

I don't think it's a "big deal", I have been on a few flights met by HM Finest and it's usually dealt with in about two minutes.

Yes that's probably me; unless I'm working or asleep on the flight I am definitely drunk or intending to get there

LondonElite

As others have pointed out, it's not just alcohol. There are many reasons why some people behave the way that they do. I'm not condoning drunk behaviour, on the ground or in the air, but these incidents are so isolated that it would be wrong to give the impression that alcohol on board is the root of the problem.

A data point for you: in over 150,000 real flown miles every year for the last 20 years, the only time I ever experienced anything remotely unpleasant related to drunken passengers was on a BA flight HKG-LHR where a bunch of Russians got so completely wasted that they started smoking. It took a few hours to get them settled down, but then they passed out.

I get it, you don't think alcohol has a place on an airplane. Please don't suggest it's the problem.

lhrsfo

In about 1.5 million miles flown in the last 15 years, I have only once come across a drunk passenger, on a flight to Los Angeles. He was not out of control, but we sat there for about 8 hours worrying that he would be out of control so it wasn't so much him being obnoxious but the continuing fear of him being obnoxious.

I personally think that IATA would be better off dealing with this matter than worrying about dimensions of carry on luggage. I can see that someone who is convicted in a court of causing a nuisance on a flight should be subject to an IATA ten year ban, but you would need a conviction to do it, rather than the say so of an FA who might be on a power trip. A 10 year ban would have serious consequences should the person require to fly for business or family reasons so should not be taken lightly, but it would provide a strong deterrent, and also a strong statement to the flying public that the airlines are not being supine about the problem.