swanscn

1) Sleeping on AC before departure (or while boarding) Guilty
2) Sleeping in airport at gate Guilty
3) Not responding to flight attendant Also Guilty usually I am either distracted or thinking about something else

4) Removed from aircraft for any of the above reasons Never

Like Jim, I give the benefit of doubt to all posters even those I may disagree with. I fly SQ on more than a regular basis and I have seen a large amount of alcohol served on the long flights. Full disclosure, I never drink alcohol when flying or even within 48 hours of a flight. But I have been known to have to be awaken to board a flight.

violist

Ah. About that I wouldn't know.

enviroian

OMG! I don't know what was funnier, watching her drunk or the guy sitting next to the guy who was filmig it just casually eating away ^

vincentvan

Yeah, but isn't that just in cases involving Hollywood actors/actresses, or famous athletes

alanh

The problem is that it's always going to be a judgment call on the FA's part, and every once in a while they're going to get it wrong.

Given that they have an obligation to deny boarding to persons that appear impaired, they're just going to have to cite a few observations to back it up and it becomes one person's word against another. In this case, the FA has "limited immunity" in that a reasonable attempt to follow the rules is protected, even if the call ultimately turns out wrong.

I think the best you can hope for is some compensation for costs incurred by being delayed. I don't think a court case has much hope, unless they settle just to get rid of it.

No, I'm not a lawyer, so don't count this as legal advice.

jetsetter

I think PHX should have just compensated the pax op as a VDB and maybe some confirmed upgrades and meal/bar vouchers as a bonus!

In 2010 this has the capability of going viral. The op, or her agents, could hire old and new media PR people to get this story all over the press in both the old and new media channels, and because US is probably limited in what their PR people will say or comment, it would make them look bad.

Its probably easier and quicker and cheaper to fight it via PR than in court which might take 5 years plus a lot of money most likely out of pocket for attorneys fees unless US quickly settles it.

From reading numerous anecdotes, it seems like there are not significant barriers to people getting tossed off planes just because in the heat of the moment somehow they have a disagreement or tif with a crewmember. Having to fill out an incident report with in 48 hours is hardly an onerous requirement.

I have another story from earlier this summer about someone getting tossed off an AirTran flight due to a disagreement with a flight attendant. I was going to post it here, but its a long story, with its own issues, and I don't want it to hijack this thread and these issues of the PHX case.

But perhaps it will find its way in to either the FL forum or the Trip Reports forum. It did kind of have a happy ending in that compensation was provided on the spot and thus there was not this immediate feverish desire to go after the company either administratively, in court, or in the court of public opinion.

dcpatti

There are some issues with US providing the OP with on-the-spot compensation IF she was indeed removed due to appearing too drunk. It rewards bad behavior for one, and sets a precedent that all you need to do to get some miles or vouchers is to show up lit. Next we will have Drunk Runs to go with our Mileage Runs and Bump Runs.

Plus it's really unfair to travellers who don't show up giving the appearance of being drunk because they're not getting any vouchers and they're the ones behaving!

If this were to go viral, I don't think it would matter much in the long run. The general public has a short attention span, and they're fickle. One day WN is the bad guy, the next day the B6 FA is the hero and the day after, he's the jerk, then AA has a bad mishap with puppies (and who doesn't love puppies) and they're the bad guy. Nobody remembers the US maggots-in-the-bins issue any more. Someone else will do something else stupid and the US Too Drunk to Fly issue will be forgotten.

lkar

Agree. If the only thing you reveal before a legal proceeding is the truth, you shouldn't have much to worry about. Well, I guess you have to worry about not being able to change your story later to tell something other than the truth. But then, any lawyer who is going to advise you to do that isn't worth hiring in the first place. And if perjuring yourself to get some compensation from US Airways is what floats one's boat, another hobby is probably in order.

The "rule" about not talking about stuff before litigation is usually a criminal concept, because you might end up waiving your right to invoke certain constitutional protections. Or, more commonly, it's simply an excuse that famous people are coached by their handlers to say so they don't have to answer difficult questions from the press.

With respect to the point above about recovery of attorneys' fees, I realize this is pretty far afield, but they are unlikely to be recoverable in this sort of case.

gardengirl

You know what gets to me about this post is that no one has given the op much attention to the "up 16 hours and just plain tired". Too tired to care if the hair, eyeliner and mascara is still in place? Not enough gloss and blush to have any life left?

I don't know what it's like to have 2 poms but I do know that being tired can make me appear pretty nasty. Especially traveling. I can get cranky waiting at airport gates when I'm not fresh. Add to that the possible smell of alcohol and you've got yourself a problem drunk? Oh no, now I have to freshen up for the FA?

You guys have got it good. You can show up in a suit that looks like you slept in it but the hair and face are still intact. You're deemed just surly and tired from a hard day.

A poor blonde girl, now she's potential trouble.

TiredOfTooMuchTravel

Seriously?? Why did you feel the need to post this sexist dribble??

Does this appear to be an issue of a male vs. female thing? No, I dont think so.

tommyleo

I'd be willing to be you money that far more men are removed from US aircraft for appearing drunk than are women.

CAL PHL FLYER

I have a feeling we are not getting all of the story and the attendant may have a different version..who knows..the passenger could have said something threatening to the FA and thats what happened..there are 2 sides to every story and we are only hearing one..@:-)

tezzer

To digress, I have no sympathy with ANYONE who admits to lugging a 45lb bag into an overhead locker !

(Not that I would pick a fight with an apprently intoxicated woman who can heave that kind of weight over her head !).

gardengirl

I have what I believe is a plausible option for the FA's focusing on the op. You may cause it dribble but that's your opinion.

Sexist? For the most part men don't wear makeup. Less to keep up with through the day.

gardengirl

Instead of betting, I'd rather see real numbers with ratios of how many men/women are actually flying.