tfmpa

I could see why you say that, but I'm not sure. With your's there was another party involved who may have angry/embarrased/upset at being the cause of the whole scene.

greggwiggins

My worst-ever temper tantrum experience involved a small child. But my second-worst experience did involve a -- theoretical -- adult.

In the early 90s I was traveling in coach on an AA flight from Orlando to Miami. All the way from MCO to MIA, the maybe-five-year-old in the seat directly behind mine screamed, cried and begged at the top of his lungs while somehow (he wasn't THAT big) frequently kicking my seatback. Mi Espanol un poco and this youngster was throwing his tantrum in Spanish so the only two words I'm sure of, words which the kid kept repeating, were "Mickey Mouse" -- but I'm guessing he wasn't happy about leaving "The Magic Kingdom".

The second-worse tantrum was about five years ago, in first class on an AA flight from Washington National to Chicago's O'Hare. The load was light and I had two seats to myself, as did the guy across the aisle. That guy in the window seat of the row across from mine, I'd estimate roughly twenty years older than the kid from the Orlando flight, kept trying to use a portable GPS device; at first openly, then more surreptitiously after the flight attendant told him his toy was on AA's "don't use in the air" list and it should be turned off. He really wasn't very discrete, so each time he tried to use the GPS, she came over and repeated that it had to be turned off. After the third or fourth time she'd told him he couldn't use his GPS he went off like Vesuvius, yelling and pulling stuff out of the overhead bin to get to his carryon and stow the GPS, leaving the things he'd taken from the overhead on the floor of the plane, demanding that the Captain OK his use of his GPS, swearing that he was going to get the F/A fired, etc. and etc.

(Digression here: I know that there is debate about whether a GPS is a problem in-flight and I know that there are hand-held GPS receivers designed for aviation use but when you are a passenger not a crewmember and when the flight attendant says not to use it in flight, well, you are supposed to follow their instructions while the aircraft is in operation)

Anyway, I went up to the galley a few minutes later and like oklAAhoma I gave the F/A my business card, telling her to get in touch with me if Mr. GPS tried to cause her any problems because I'd happily tell AA what I'd seen. I never heard anything about the incident but what I thought was interesting, even at the time, is that when we landed at ORD I was told "thanks for the business card" -- not by the F/A but by the Captain who was standing in the cockpit door. I guess he and the F/A had a discussion on the intercom at some point or perhaps after landing.

cordelli

I've seen the bulkhead one once, though it was a family with a baby instead of a handicapped person causing the move. It wasn't that bad.

The story I was going to relay has already been told, the Newark gate incident. Different flight, different airline, but same results, the pax was led away in handcuffs.

He didn't see that they had either called or that the PA police (think there was a state officer there too from the screening area) and yelled at the top of his lungs "Like What the F are you people planning on making my day any worse then you have already made it???"

The PA police were directly behind him, and in a very calm voice said something like "We'll take care of that for you sir" and proceeded to cuff him.

It was one of the funniest on time delivery of a punch line I've seen in ages.

I can't picture getting to the point you need the police to drag you away over a seat assignment.

CO 1E

That's awesome! "<waving gold card around> I spend $2400 a year with CO - now give me my g****n upgrade!! <stops waving gold card>"

Efrem

There's an old story that may or may not have ever really happened (I'd like to believe it did) that fits in here. A customer goes up to the gate agent upset about something and, at the end of his rant, screams at her "DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM???" She calmly picks up the PA mike and announces "There is a passenger at the Gate 17 desk who does not know who he is. If anyone in the gate area can identify him, please come to the desk to help him remember."

oklAAhoma

Ain't that the truth. Obviously that silly woman hadn't been living on the same planet as the rest of us.

goalie

this pax blew it-the card is supposed to be placed direclty on your forehead as you approach the podium.

oklAAhoma

I agree. While the woman I witnessed worked hard at tormenting a number of UA personnel, they are trained to handle such situations (and they did so in an admirable manner). The moron that the OP witnessed was incredibly rude to many innocent bystanders, including the handicapped pax who was forced to listen to his immature rantings. His behavior was worse as it was much more destructive and mean-spirited.

oklAAhoma

I, too, would like to believe it actually happened. GAs are subjected to so many ridiculous tirades, it's nice to think that at least one agent got off a good zinger after hearing (for probably the millionth time) "Do you know who I am?"

pinniped

I was in Philly once where I witnessed a passenger totally berate a US Air gate agent. I forget the topic - it was a short flight to DCA and thunderstorms had canceled a lot of flights, so it was probably along the lines of "put me on this flight or I'll have you fired".

I was standing behind him in line and I could hardly stand the boozy smell of him - I can't imagine what the GA must have felt. Anyway, Philly finest removed him in short order - I'm sure he got a night in the drunk tank.

The story in the OP is even more bizarre, though. Sounds like this guy was sober, and simply being moved from bulkhead aisle to exit row aisle. Hardly a big deal... I can see where canceled flights or IDB's can set people off, but this one mystifies me.

Hayden

I was flying SFO-MIA-EZE a few years back during a holiday weekend, and SFO-MIA was packed. They had a mechanical and substituted a 762 (I think...) for the planned 763. Anyway, something that had fewer seats that the original equipment. So they're asking for volunteers and giving compensation. Plus, with the mx, the flight had been delayed for hours. I was going to miss the EZE connection and took the compensation.

As all of us are standing in line for the vouchers, we were joined by a guy who had been ticketed on (but missed) the early SFO-MIA flight. So he'd only been standby on the flight we were all VDBd on, and was not entitled to VDB compensation. Anyway, he went on his own to the front of the line and spent almost half an hour arguing with the GA that he was entitled to compensation, or to board the flight (which left while he was arguing). The argument grew more and more heated (at least on the guy's side), and SF's finest arrived after about 20 minutes. They finally stepped in when the GA gave up with reason and offered to let the guy poke through all of the boarding passes to find "his" pass. The guy took the container and dumped it all over the gate desk, and was invited to leave the airport, which he did. Don't think he was arrested, though.

More amazing to me was that the GA was operating on maybe 4 hours sleep, having worked the late flights the previous night and the early flights that day. Yet he remained calm and reasonable throughout the tirade.

-Hayden

Fraser

Mine is fairly recent....

Was at BA's Arrivals Lounge in Terminal 4 with my wife over Xmas. We'd just been let in and we had our suitcases open in reception just getting some fresh clothes to change into after our showers. A guy walks in with his wife and kid fresh off the flight from Philadelphia with the parents booked in CW and son in WT+. Son was upgraded and then he tried to get them all in the Arrivals Lounge because it was Boxing Day and not very busy (it was actually!)...He then asked in a rather sarcastic way if there were any good places to leave the son in the arrivals area whilst the wife and him got showers. Then decided to get mad again exclaiming his last few trips had been a disaster and that he had flown 22,000 tier points last year (equivalent to about 64 longhaul First Class trips ) and was going to take it all to Beardy Airways if they didn't let him in. He wasn't holding back almost shouting at her, and to be honest I was half expecting the poor woman to start crying. He proceeded to tell the lounge warden that as a result of losing his business BA would have to sack people including her I was trying not to laugh but felt sorry for his obviously embarassed wife and son.

I was so close to chiming in at the end of his 10min rant by saying if he'd flown 22k tier points he should know the rules and his wife would have left him. Decided to bite my tongue...my father on the other hand, had he been there, would have probably said something far too controversial!


*For those unfamiliar with the BA rules the Arrivals Lounge is for Club World/First Class confirmed tickets and BA Golds/QF Plats. Operational upgrades don't count and as Arrivals Lounges fall outside of oneworld rules no guests are allowed

UALfromMSN

About 2 years ago, I was on ATW-ORD(short feeder flight), that was delayed enough that I was going to miss my connection. I went out to the ticket counter to see what they could do. In front of me was a young woman who was berating the ticket agent up and down about how she flies this route all the time, and how could he refuse to call ORD and get them to hold her LAX connection? She wanted his name and ID, his supervisor's name and ID, you name it. The odd thing was that her boarding pass had no FF# on it, so I got the idea that she was throwing her weight around to see if it would work.

Some have told me that the next part of the story was a bad idea.....

I reminded her that there were others in line waiting for assistance with their connections, and if she was finished, could she move aside. So she started in on me for a minute, then snapped at the ticket agent again, and stormed off.

The ticket agent treated me like a long lost relative after that.

Dianne47

I can't figure out why the misbehavers aren't identified as "interfering with flight crew" and arrested. Or at least detained if departing (causing them to miss the flight), or met by LEOs if arriving.

FAs need to summon the courage to say, "Sir/Madam, you are attempting to intimidate me, which is a federal crime: interference with flight crew. Continue and you will be arrested."

Citation from DOJ website:

Section 46504 of Title 49, United States Code (formerly section 1472(j) of Title 49 Appendix) sets forth the offense of interference with a flight crew member or flight attendant within the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States, which is defined in 49 U.S.C. � 46501(2). The statute applies to any "individual on an aircraft in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States who, by assaulting or intimidating a flight crew member or flight attendant of the aircraft, interferes with the performance of the duties of the member or attendant or lessens the ability of the member or attendant to perform those duties." The statute provides for up to 20 years imprisonment, and further provides for imprisonment for any term of years or life if a dangerous weapon is used. Interference with a flight crew member or attendant is a general intent crime, and does not require a specific intent either to intimidate the flight crew member or attendant or to interfere with t he performance of his or her duties. United States v. Grossman, 131 F.3d 1449 (11th Cir. 1997).

Efrem

Similar thing happened to me at Salt Lake City a few years back. Our DL flight to Calgary developed a mechanical problem immediately after take off and had to return. The agent was trying to rebook 100+ pax when the man in front of me began a rant that came down to "Find a plane to take me exactly where I want to go, exactly when I want to go there, and to heck with all these other dummies, because I'm more important than they are." After she finally managed to get rid of him she took care of me: relatively simple because I was fine with the next scheduled flight to Edmonton, instead of needing to be in Calgary like nearly everyone else. As I was leaving the desk she called me back, asked for my boarding pass from Row 85 or so, and gave me one in Row 3 instead. I asked why. The reply: "Because you weren't like the guy in front of you. You actually smiled."

Most FTers know the moral here.