Narrative:

Before departure, captain thought he smelled alcohol on senior flight attendant's breath. Asked first officer. He said he didn't smell it. Captain asked flight attendant if she was under the influence and if that was alcohol on her breath. She emphatically denied it was. En route, captain smelled it again. Asked another flight attendant who said she smelled it but thought it was menopause induced. First officer remembered that captain on trip the week before smelled it too. Captain decided to inform flight attendant that she would have to come off trip at destination as he had no objective way to determine what odd smell was. Flight attendant got off trip upon arrival. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporting captain flies the B-737-300 for a major air carrier. The initial confrontation between the reporter and the flight attendant was early in the morning on the ground at ord. 1 leg was flown. The second confrontation was during the second leg at lunch time, in the air. The flight attendant was removed from the trip at the end of this leg and replaced. She was sent to a local hospital for a blood test, some 6 hours into the work day. The reporter does not know of the results of this test. The flight attendant is back on the job, but chooses not to fly the first flight attendant position with the reporter or discuss the situation with him. The reporter's flight management has found no fault with the reporter's actions in this matter.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR MLG CAPT REMOVED ONE OF HIS FLT ATTENDANTS FOR SUSPECTED ALCOHOL USE.

Narrative: BEFORE DEP, CAPT THOUGHT HE SMELLED ALCOHOL ON SENIOR FLT ATTENDANT'S BREATH. ASKED FO. HE SAID HE DIDN'T SMELL IT. CAPT ASKED FLT ATTENDANT IF SHE WAS UNDER THE INFLUENCE AND IF THAT WAS ALCOHOL ON HER BREATH. SHE EMPHATICALLY DENIED IT WAS. ENRTE, CAPT SMELLED IT AGAIN. ASKED ANOTHER FLT ATTENDANT WHO SAID SHE SMELLED IT BUT THOUGHT IT WAS MENOPAUSE INDUCED. FO REMEMBERED THAT CAPT ON TRIP THE WK BEFORE SMELLED IT TOO. CAPT DECIDED TO INFORM FLT ATTENDANT THAT SHE WOULD HAVE TO COME OFF TRIP AT DEST AS HE HAD NO OBJECTIVE WAY TO DETERMINE WHAT ODD SMELL WAS. FLT ATTENDANT GOT OFF TRIP UPON ARR. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTING CAPT FLIES THE B-737-300 FOR A MAJOR ACR. THE INITIAL CONFRONTATION BTWN THE RPTR AND THE FLT ATTENDANT WAS EARLY IN THE MORNING ON THE GND AT ORD. 1 LEG WAS FLOWN. THE SECOND CONFRONTATION WAS DURING THE SECOND LEG AT LUNCH TIME, IN THE AIR. THE FLT ATTENDANT WAS REMOVED FROM THE TRIP AT THE END OF THIS LEG AND REPLACED. SHE WAS SENT TO A LCL HOSPITAL FOR A BLOOD TEST, SOME 6 HRS INTO THE WORK DAY. THE RPTR DOES NOT KNOW OF THE RESULTS OF THIS TEST. THE FLT ATTENDANT IS BACK ON THE JOB, BUT CHOOSES NOT TO FLY THE FIRST FLT ATTENDANT POS WITH THE RPTR OR DISCUSS THE SIT WITH HIM. THE RPTR'S FLT MGMNT HAS FOUND NO FAULT WITH THE RPTR'S ACTIONS IN THIS MATTER.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.