coachrowsey

Standard answer leos get on how much have you had to drink ? 2 beers

laclac01

I have regularly never said anything to the FA and never been deplaned for drinking... And I get wasted often on transcon flights. Did everyone else on the plane say nice cheery things to the FA? I think this is a conspiracy.

Just because you didn't get your BAC test doesn't mean you weren't wasted.

Just be thankful they didn't call your bluff and everything worked out.

reamworks

I can agree with this advice.

I have an attorney I keep on retainer for my small business. I use him quite a bit for handling disputes, etc.

But I'd never CC my attorney, or "threaten" a lawsuit on the first letter complaining about something. Why? Because the customer service people would probably have to turn the letter over to their legal dep't instead of trying to handle it.

I'd certainly ask my attorney what to do. Memorializing the incident in timeline form with as much detail as possible, and sending a letter, by registered US mail, to the corporate office (with no mention of lawyers and lawsuits) is probably the first step he'd recommend. This way, a top-tier customer service agent will investigate and try to fix the situation.

And, of course, if I couldn't get reasonable compensation, then I might bring in the lawyer.

With this, it's going to be a "he said/she said." If the FA said you were "drunk" or unresponsive, they'd probably believe her.....

cherylsiscon

Thanks for the helpful advice.

dcpatti

2 pomegranate martinis are certainly enough to make someone reek of booze. If the FA smelled a heavy booze stink on the OP at boarding then saw the OP passed out/sleeping/etc a few minutes later, it definitely gives the impression of "too drunk to fly" and should be investigated. I actually agree with the FA for having the OP removed; if someone is indeed too drunk, you don't want to confront them in a crowded, enclosed space like a plane. You don't know if they'll become belligerent as some folks do.

At any rate, someone who passes out from being too drunk is a liability in an emergency. I'm not sure if the OP gave an impression of falling into this category.

In Europe they do not tolerate the appearance of drunkenness that they do in the States; they always cite Safety as the reason and you don't have to be that drunk to be removed from a flight.

I would like to gear the US side of the story and hope that the OP will reply with whatever response she gets,

jib71

Huh? In some parts of Europe, looking drunk is the new black.

ScatterX

IMO, "unresponsive" in this context is related to the FA's judgment as to whether or not a passenger is impaired (to a point of being a safety issue). The FA was apparently expecting a response from the OP. While there is no general obligation to speak to the FA, the FA does have to do the due diligent thing. When she does this, you better be responsive. It is hard to differentiate the passed out drunk from passed out tired (especially when tired smells like booze).

To the OP...

Welcome to FT. Here's my honest advice...

I can't judge what was right or wrong in this case, since I wasn't there. That said, I'd be very surprised if your complaint goes anywhere. US will say you were intoxicated. You will say you were tired. They will provide your statement (and maybe your posts) that you were drinking and passed out (you will say tired again). Pretty thin case you have. You might want to keep this as low-profile as possible and hope for some compensation for denied boarding (or similar). I wouldn't be so sure that the "other four people" and everyone else involved won't have different stories when this gets sticky. They will likely circle the wagons.

If you go the lawyer route, they will too. IMO, this is a bad idea and you will lose badly. On the other hand, you will very likely regret getting into the fight. If the facts were a little different, you might win by going public. In this case, you will be portrayed by them as a drunk. If you have ever been drunk in public or in front of someone that's not your friend, those stories WILL come out. Are you sure you want this publicity?

violist

Which Europe is that? None that I've ever been in, I reckon.

laclac01

Two pomegranate martinis can sometimes be 6 little bottles of booze. And its apparent that no one believe the OP about the actual number of drinks the OP had. Probably 3 or 4. So that could be 12 little bottles. Inferring from Facebook the OP does have some tolerance for booze but 600ml could be a little too much.

flyingfkb

Wonder which part of Europe this should be. Definitely not in Germany from my experiences last night in Cologne.

dcpatti

Sorry, my comment regarding the European stance on drinking only was meant in regards to flying. The lcc's especially are strict and will boot you if you slur a little, or the slightest bit rowdy, or smell like drinkies and have a nap in the boarding area. Maybe a little less strict going tatl but you don't want to act up at all on a Thomas Cooke flight.

TINPA

Normally this might be the case but if the story is right they ticketed her "15 minutes later" to a flight in an exit row. Nothing else seems as relevant as this. Even if that flight was scheduled much later, if they assigned an exit seat to a pax they are arguing was intoxicated or unresponsive, then it would be a real problem for them.

ScatterX

I agree if US insists the PAX was actually drunk. IMO, they don't need to do this. They would likely claim she was clearly impaired and had to remove her to determine if she was "tired" or "drunk" or something else. They concluded she was tired and moved on. All I'm saying is this would be a very tough and potentially unpleasant case to pursue (even if she wins).

FlyIgglesFly

One thought might be to counter with an allegation that, 'Oh, so I was overly drunk? Well, the only way I could've become that way is by your staff overserving me on the prior flight. Would you care to answer that allegation with the appropriate authorities?'

Bit of a bold move, probably as a last resort and nuclear option. But something to consider. I forget the details of the particular case, but US does have a prior and public legal history with overserving.

vincentvan

Interesting choice of the word "incite" as opposed to "insight"