Narrative:

The passenger list in first class showed that a teenage boy was sitting in first class, when his assigned seat was in coach class. When the #1 flight attendant told the boy that he could not just come up to first class and take any open seat, and that he needed to take his assigned seat 'in coach,' his parents got upset. Every time the flight attendant walked by their seats, the man began yelling at her. I gave her the in-flight company paperwork and informed her that if the situation continued to escalate, that she should fill it out and give this man the bottom portion. When he continued to badger her, she did as I suggested, but that only upset him more. He verbally assaulted her. I was working in coach class, but when we began to prepare for landing in cancun, I started preparing at first class, where this man was sitting. He had his brief case on the floor at this seat. When I informed him that his bag had to be stowed in the overhead bin for landing, he refused, saying that he had important papers in it. I told him that he cannot refuse this because it is a federal regulation that the bag be stowed. Then he shoved it toward me and said, 'you put it up there then, you work here, not I.' I just ignored that comment, stowed the brief case, and walked away. When the #1 flight attendant tried to press charges in cancun, she was told that they cannot do anything to this man because he was a diplomat from another country. This flight attendant was visibly shaken by this treatment from that man. The flight back to miami, she began getting pale and nauseous. I believe this man simply did not respect any type of authority/authorized, and took absolutely every opportunity to treat any and all of us like dirt. We did not know that he was anyone of anymore 'importance' than any other of our passenger. When it comes to safety compliance and service, we treat all of our first class passenger equally, just like we do our main cabin passenger. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter states passenger began to become abusive on pushback, insisting that his son remain in first class with him even though the son had a coach ticket. The son complied with the cabin attendant's request to take his assigned seat but the parent in first class continued to harass cabin attendants throughout the flight for the son to return to first class, constantly ringing the call button. The cabin attendants gave the first class passenger a company piece of paperwork that informs the passenger of the federal regulation concerning interfering with the duties of a flight crew member and the possible consequences, which infuriated the passenger more. The agent at destination refused to take a report due to the reported status of diplomatic immunity of the passenger. The flight crew did not want to get involved. The cabin attendant who worked in first class with this passenger became ill due to this incident and was unable to perform her function as a working crew member on the return trip. Supplemental information from acn 404539: agent told purser in front of me that he couldn't put information about passenger behavior in computer for his next crew to be aware. I think he could, and wouldn't, due to 'diplomatic immunity' status of passenger, which is an antiquated practice.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ON BOARD B757 PAX BECAME IRATE AND NON-COMPLIANT TO SAFETY REGS CONCERNING BAG STOWAGE VERBALLY ABUSING CABIN ATTENDANTS.

Narrative: THE PAX LIST IN FIRST CLASS SHOWED THAT A TEENAGE BOY WAS SITTING IN FIRST CLASS, WHEN HIS ASSIGNED SEAT WAS IN COACH CLASS. WHEN THE #1 FLT ATTENDANT TOLD THE BOY THAT HE COULD NOT JUST COME UP TO FIRST CLASS AND TAKE ANY OPEN SEAT, AND THAT HE NEEDED TO TAKE HIS ASSIGNED SEAT 'IN COACH,' HIS PARENTS GOT UPSET. EVERY TIME THE FLT ATTENDANT WALKED BY THEIR SEATS, THE MAN BEGAN YELLING AT HER. I GAVE HER THE INFLT COMPANY PAPERWORK AND INFORMED HER THAT IF THE SIT CONTINUED TO ESCALATE, THAT SHE SHOULD FILL IT OUT AND GIVE THIS MAN THE BOTTOM PORTION. WHEN HE CONTINUED TO BADGER HER, SHE DID AS I SUGGESTED, BUT THAT ONLY UPSET HIM MORE. HE VERBALLY ASSAULTED HER. I WAS WORKING IN COACH CLASS, BUT WHEN WE BEGAN TO PREPARE FOR LNDG IN CANCUN, I STARTED PREPARING AT FIRST CLASS, WHERE THIS MAN WAS SITTING. HE HAD HIS BRIEF CASE ON THE FLOOR AT THIS SEAT. WHEN I INFORMED HIM THAT HIS BAG HAD TO BE STOWED IN THE OVERHEAD BIN FOR LNDG, HE REFUSED, SAYING THAT HE HAD IMPORTANT PAPERS IN IT. I TOLD HIM THAT HE CANNOT REFUSE THIS BECAUSE IT IS A FEDERAL REGULATION THAT THE BAG BE STOWED. THEN HE SHOVED IT TOWARD ME AND SAID, 'YOU PUT IT UP THERE THEN, YOU WORK HERE, NOT I.' I JUST IGNORED THAT COMMENT, STOWED THE BRIEF CASE, AND WALKED AWAY. WHEN THE #1 FLT ATTENDANT TRIED TO PRESS CHARGES IN CANCUN, SHE WAS TOLD THAT THEY CANNOT DO ANYTHING TO THIS MAN BECAUSE HE WAS A DIPLOMAT FROM ANOTHER COUNTRY. THIS FLT ATTENDANT WAS VISIBLY SHAKEN BY THIS TREATMENT FROM THAT MAN. THE FLT BACK TO MIAMI, SHE BEGAN GETTING PALE AND NAUSEOUS. I BELIEVE THIS MAN SIMPLY DID NOT RESPECT ANY TYPE OF AUTH, AND TOOK ABSOLUTELY EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO TREAT ANY AND ALL OF US LIKE DIRT. WE DID NOT KNOW THAT HE WAS ANYONE OF ANYMORE 'IMPORTANCE' THAN ANY OTHER OF OUR PAX. WHEN IT COMES TO SAFETY COMPLIANCE AND SVC, WE TREAT ALL OF OUR FIRST CLASS PAX EQUALLY, JUST LIKE WE DO OUR MAIN CABIN PAX. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES PAX BEGAN TO BECOME ABUSIVE ON PUSHBACK, INSISTING THAT HIS SON REMAIN IN FIRST CLASS WITH HIM EVEN THOUGH THE SON HAD A COACH TICKET. THE SON COMPLIED WITH THE CABIN ATTENDANT'S REQUEST TO TAKE HIS ASSIGNED SEAT BUT THE PARENT IN FIRST CLASS CONTINUED TO HARASS CABIN ATTENDANTS THROUGHOUT THE FLT FOR THE SON TO RETURN TO FIRST CLASS, CONSTANTLY RINGING THE CALL BUTTON. THE CABIN ATTENDANTS GAVE THE FIRST CLASS PAX A COMPANY PIECE OF PAPERWORK THAT INFORMS THE PAX OF THE FEDERAL REG CONCERNING INTERFERING WITH THE DUTIES OF A FLC MEMBER AND THE POSSIBLE CONSEQUENCES, WHICH INFURIATED THE PAX MORE. THE AGENT AT DEST REFUSED TO TAKE A RPT DUE TO THE RPTED STATUS OF DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY OF THE PAX. THE FLC DID NOT WANT TO GET INVOLVED. THE CABIN ATTENDANT WHO WORKED IN FIRST CLASS WITH THIS PAX BECAME ILL DUE TO THIS INCIDENT AND WAS UNABLE TO PERFORM HER FUNCTION AS A WORKING CREW MEMBER ON THE RETURN TRIP. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 404539: AGENT TOLD PURSER IN FRONT OF ME THAT HE COULDN'T PUT INFO ABOUT PAX BEHAVIOR IN COMPUTER FOR HIS NEXT CREW TO BE AWARE. I THINK HE COULD, AND WOULDN'T, DUE TO 'DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY' STATUS OF PAX, WHICH IS AN ANTIQUATED PRACTICE.

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.