Narrative:

A passenger in seat B was talking extremely loud to the passenger in seat a during and after the cocktail service. He could be heard all the way to the back of business class. Several passenger complained especially after the meal service (3 hours later from takeoff) when they wanted to sleep. The purser asked him to 'tone down his voice as it was brought to his attention that he was disturbing other passenger.' he became angry and verbally abusive with the purser. I could hear them talking but could not hear what was said as I was in the galley and there was too much noise with the chillers and ovens on. I could also hear this passenger prior to this and hoped he would quiet down, but he didn't, so that forced the purser to speak with him. At this time the captain was on his crew break almost directly across from him and he apparently told the captain to get back to the cockpit and take charge of the aircraft as that was his job. When the purser was out of the cabin, the passenger rang his call light. I went to his seat and asked if he needed something. He nodded 'no' and put his eye shades on and went to sleep. During this time the purser filled out a company form and left it at his seat, as he was asleep. The captain called ahead for security to meet the flight. When the passenger awoke, he read the 'report' and became angry and verbally abusive with the purser. The purser was in fear for his safety as the passenger was a very large man and we were all fearful that it might escalate to physical abuse. It did not, but we were upset emotionally. The police met the passenger and removed him from the aircraft and we had to give reports. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter states the abusive passenger was in first class and was served alcohol. The purser left a piece of company paperwork at his seat that explains the consequences of violating an far in-flight. This agitated an already volatile passenger. Reporter stated that this particular flight has complimentary alcohol throughout the 8 hour flight, even in coach class and consequently this type of situation occurs frequently, due to overuse of alcohol. Reporter stated she has seen abrupt personality changes in certain individuals onboard due to alcohol consumption, where passenger 'snap,' turning into violent, safety threatening, abusive sits. Reporter suggests limitations are a necessity. Reporter states the responsibility of policing alcohol consumption falls on the cabin crew member and is an impossible task due to the cabin attendant to passenger ratio with a full aircraft.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AT CRUISE ONBOARD B767-300, PAX BECAME ABUSIVE AND WAS MET BY AUTHS AT DEST.

Narrative: A PAX IN SEAT B WAS TALKING EXTREMELY LOUD TO THE PAX IN SEAT A DURING AND AFTER THE COCKTAIL SVC. HE COULD BE HEARD ALL THE WAY TO THE BACK OF BUSINESS CLASS. SEVERAL PAX COMPLAINED ESPECIALLY AFTER THE MEAL SVC (3 HRS LATER FROM TKOF) WHEN THEY WANTED TO SLEEP. THE PURSER ASKED HIM TO 'TONE DOWN HIS VOICE AS IT WAS BROUGHT TO HIS ATTN THAT HE WAS DISTURBING OTHER PAX.' HE BECAME ANGRY AND VERBALLY ABUSIVE WITH THE PURSER. I COULD HEAR THEM TALKING BUT COULD NOT HEAR WHAT WAS SAID AS I WAS IN THE GALLEY AND THERE WAS TOO MUCH NOISE WITH THE CHILLERS AND OVENS ON. I COULD ALSO HEAR THIS PAX PRIOR TO THIS AND HOPED HE WOULD QUIET DOWN, BUT HE DIDN'T, SO THAT FORCED THE PURSER TO SPEAK WITH HIM. AT THIS TIME THE CAPT WAS ON HIS CREW BREAK ALMOST DIRECTLY ACROSS FROM HIM AND HE APPARENTLY TOLD THE CAPT TO GET BACK TO THE COCKPIT AND TAKE CHARGE OF THE ACFT AS THAT WAS HIS JOB. WHEN THE PURSER WAS OUT OF THE CABIN, THE PAX RANG HIS CALL LIGHT. I WENT TO HIS SEAT AND ASKED IF HE NEEDED SOMETHING. HE NODDED 'NO' AND PUT HIS EYE SHADES ON AND WENT TO SLEEP. DURING THIS TIME THE PURSER FILLED OUT A COMPANY FORM AND LEFT IT AT HIS SEAT, AS HE WAS ASLEEP. THE CAPT CALLED AHEAD FOR SECURITY TO MEET THE FLT. WHEN THE PAX AWOKE, HE READ THE 'RPT' AND BECAME ANGRY AND VERBALLY ABUSIVE WITH THE PURSER. THE PURSER WAS IN FEAR FOR HIS SAFETY AS THE PAX WAS A VERY LARGE MAN AND WE WERE ALL FEARFUL THAT IT MIGHT ESCALATE TO PHYSICAL ABUSE. IT DID NOT, BUT WE WERE UPSET EMOTIONALLY. THE POLICE MET THE PAX AND REMOVED HIM FROM THE ACFT AND WE HAD TO GIVE RPTS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES THE ABUSIVE PAX WAS IN FIRST CLASS AND WAS SERVED ALCOHOL. THE PURSER LEFT A PIECE OF COMPANY PAPERWORK AT HIS SEAT THAT EXPLAINS THE CONSEQUENCES OF VIOLATING AN FAR INFLT. THIS AGITATED AN ALREADY VOLATILE PAX. RPTR STATED THAT THIS PARTICULAR FLT HAS COMPLIMENTARY ALCOHOL THROUGHOUT THE 8 HR FLT, EVEN IN COACH CLASS AND CONSEQUENTLY THIS TYPE OF SIT OCCURS FREQUENTLY, DUE TO OVERUSE OF ALCOHOL. RPTR STATED SHE HAS SEEN ABRUPT PERSONALITY CHANGES IN CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS ONBOARD DUE TO ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION, WHERE PAX 'SNAP,' TURNING INTO VIOLENT, SAFETY THREATENING, ABUSIVE SITS. RPTR SUGGESTS LIMITATIONS ARE A NECESSITY. RPTR STATES THE RESPONSIBILITY OF POLICING ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION FALLS ON THE CABIN CREW MEMBER AND IS AN IMPOSSIBLE TASK DUE TO THE CABIN ATTENDANT TO PAX RATIO WITH A FULL ACFT.

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.