Narrative:

During the boarding of flight, I was working the #1 position. I was approached by a gate agent (I did not get name) who informed me that passenger X seated in xx had caused a scene at the gate, yelling at her, calling her incompetent. All because his seat had been changed. The agent continued to inform me that she was training a new agent and passenger X had brought her to tears. She also said, 'there were 3 long notes regarding this passenger in the computer along with two different reservations in his name.' I thanked her for informing me and went about finishing my work. I was taking drink and meal preferences and had two rows to still ask when I had to stop and arm my doors. As we pushed back I went back to quickly ask the last rows their preference. I took passenger X's and his traveling partner's drink choice with no problems. However, when I gave him the choice of turkey steak or stir fried salmon, he demanded to know, 'what happened to the pasta.' I informed him I was only catered with three, however I still had two choices. At which point passenger X started yelling at me. 'You don't know how to do your job! This is an odd number flight and you should have started with me first. I want the pasta so what is going to be done about it!!' I told him I understand this was an odd number flight and that I had started on this aircraft with the same number out of buffalo, ny. I had a full lunch service and had asked those passenger aft forward. And that was why I had started from the front on this leg. I still had a nice choice of two entrees. If either one was not suitable to his liking I would see what was offered in coach and make him up a nice plate. During the whole time I was explaining myself passenger X was yelling at me continuously, 'you don't know how to do your job! You don't know how to follow procedures! You don't know how to do your job!' he repeated this over and over not listening and getting louder. At this point I informed passenger X I would not take this behavior from him for the next 4 1/2 hours and if he did not calm down I would have the captain return to the gate and have him removed. He said, 'fine!' I went straight to the captain to inform him I wanted passenger X removed from the flight. I explained what had occurred and that I was not going to be verbally abused for the next 4 1/2 hours. As captain made the arrangements to return to the gate I tried to rectify the situation. I returned to passenger X and told him I understood he must have had a bad day. When he started yelling, 'I don't want anything. You just leave me alone!,' I asked him if we were going to have a problem on this 4 1/2 hour flight. He continued to yell, 'you leave me alone!' I tried one last time to ask him if we were going to have a problem on this 4 1/2 hour flight. Yelling at me was his answer. I returned to inform captain I still wanted passenger X removed. At which point we returned to the gate. I was met by special service representative and another gate agent. I stepped off the aircraft to explain to the service representative that in my 13 yrs of flying I have never encountered such a rude and mean passenger as passenger X. I continued to express to her that all my passenger are treated with respect no matter what airfare class they are. But I was not going to be personally treated in this manner. The other gate agent stated that passenger X had also yelled at her at the gate. At this point the service representative approached passenger X and removed him from the flight. This situation did not have to happen. I do not know what led up to passenger X being as angry as he was. Yet there has to come a point with passenger that we at the airlines need to stand up and say I am sorry, we do not want your business. I, as a person do not let anyone in my life talk to me in that manner. I do hope that the airline will stand behind me on this issue as the captain did. I also had several passenger from coach come up to me during the flight to state they were either ahead or behind passenger X and had heard what happened out in the boarding area. Some of the comments were, 'this passenger X was mean, nasty, and abusive to the agents.'

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ON DEP ONBOARD MD80S, ACFT RETURNED TO GATE TO REMOVE UNRULY PAX FROM ACFT.

Narrative: DURING THE BOARDING OF FLT, I WAS WORKING THE #1 POS. I WAS APCHED BY A GATE AGENT (I DID NOT GET NAME) WHO INFORMED ME THAT PAX X SEATED IN XX HAD CAUSED A SCENE AT THE GATE, YELLING AT HER, CALLING HER INCOMPETENT. ALL BECAUSE HIS SEAT HAD BEEN CHANGED. THE AGENT CONTINUED TO INFORM ME THAT SHE WAS TRAINING A NEW AGENT AND PAX X HAD BROUGHT HER TO TEARS. SHE ALSO SAID, 'THERE WERE 3 LONG NOTES REGARDING THIS PAX IN THE COMPUTER ALONG WITH TWO DIFFERENT RESERVATIONS IN HIS NAME.' I THANKED HER FOR INFORMING ME AND WENT ABOUT FINISHING MY WORK. I WAS TAKING DRINK AND MEAL PREFERENCES AND HAD TWO ROWS TO STILL ASK WHEN I HAD TO STOP AND ARM MY DOORS. AS WE PUSHED BACK I WENT BACK TO QUICKLY ASK THE LAST ROWS THEIR PREFERENCE. I TOOK PAX X'S AND HIS TRAVELING PARTNER'S DRINK CHOICE WITH NO PROBS. HOWEVER, WHEN I GAVE HIM THE CHOICE OF TURKEY STEAK OR STIR FRIED SALMON, HE DEMANDED TO KNOW, 'WHAT HAPPENED TO THE PASTA.' I INFORMED HIM I WAS ONLY CATERED WITH THREE, HOWEVER I STILL HAD TWO CHOICES. AT WHICH POINT PAX X STARTED YELLING AT ME. 'YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO YOUR JOB! THIS IS AN ODD NUMBER FLT AND YOU SHOULD HAVE STARTED WITH ME FIRST. I WANT THE PASTA SO WHAT IS GOING TO BE DONE ABOUT IT!!' I TOLD HIM I UNDERSTAND THIS WAS AN ODD NUMBER FLT AND THAT I HAD STARTED ON THIS ACFT WITH THE SAME NUMBER OUT OF BUFFALO, NY. I HAD A FULL LUNCH SVC AND HAD ASKED THOSE PAX AFT FORWARD. AND THAT WAS WHY I HAD STARTED FROM THE FRONT ON THIS LEG. I STILL HAD A NICE CHOICE OF TWO ENTREES. IF EITHER ONE WAS NOT SUITABLE TO HIS LIKING I WOULD SEE WHAT WAS OFFERED IN COACH AND MAKE HIM UP A NICE PLATE. DURING THE WHOLE TIME I WAS EXPLAINING MYSELF PAX X WAS YELLING AT ME CONTINUOUSLY, 'YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO YOUR JOB! YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO FOLLOW PROCS! YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO YOUR JOB!' HE REPEATED THIS OVER AND OVER NOT LISTENING AND GETTING LOUDER. AT THIS POINT I INFORMED PAX X I WOULD NOT TAKE THIS BEHAVIOR FROM HIM FOR THE NEXT 4 1/2 HRS AND IF HE DID NOT CALM DOWN I WOULD HAVE THE CAPT RETURN TO THE GATE AND HAVE HIM REMOVED. HE SAID, 'FINE!' I WENT STRAIGHT TO THE CAPT TO INFORM HIM I WANTED PAX X REMOVED FROM THE FLT. I EXPLAINED WHAT HAD OCCURRED AND THAT I WAS NOT GOING TO BE VERBALLY ABUSED FOR THE NEXT 4 1/2 HRS. AS CAPT MADE THE ARRANGEMENTS TO RETURN TO THE GATE I TRIED TO RECTIFY THE SIT. I RETURNED TO PAX X AND TOLD HIM I UNDERSTOOD HE MUST HAVE HAD A BAD DAY. WHEN HE STARTED YELLING, 'I DON'T WANT ANYTHING. YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!,' I ASKED HIM IF WE WERE GOING TO HAVE A PROB ON THIS 4 1/2 HR FLT. HE CONTINUED TO YELL, 'YOU LEAVE ME ALONE!' I TRIED ONE LAST TIME TO ASK HIM IF WE WERE GOING TO HAVE A PROB ON THIS 4 1/2 HR FLT. YELLING AT ME WAS HIS ANSWER. I RETURNED TO INFORM CAPT I STILL WANTED PAX X REMOVED. AT WHICH POINT WE RETURNED TO THE GATE. I WAS MET BY SPECIAL SVC REPRESENTATIVE AND ANOTHER GATE AGENT. I STEPPED OFF THE ACFT TO EXPLAIN TO THE SVC REPRESENTATIVE THAT IN MY 13 YRS OF FLYING I HAVE NEVER ENCOUNTERED SUCH A RUDE AND MEAN PAX AS PAX X. I CONTINUED TO EXPRESS TO HER THAT ALL MY PAX ARE TREATED WITH RESPECT NO MATTER WHAT AIRFARE CLASS THEY ARE. BUT I WAS NOT GOING TO BE PERSONALLY TREATED IN THIS MANNER. THE OTHER GATE AGENT STATED THAT PAX X HAD ALSO YELLED AT HER AT THE GATE. AT THIS POINT THE SVC REPRESENTATIVE APCHED PAX X AND REMOVED HIM FROM THE FLT. THIS SIT DID NOT HAVE TO HAPPEN. I DO NOT KNOW WHAT LED UP TO PAX X BEING AS ANGRY AS HE WAS. YET THERE HAS TO COME A POINT WITH PAX THAT WE AT THE AIRLINES NEED TO STAND UP AND SAY I AM SORRY, WE DO NOT WANT YOUR BUSINESS. I, AS A PERSON DO NOT LET ANYONE IN MY LIFE TALK TO ME IN THAT MANNER. I DO HOPE THAT THE AIRLINE WILL STAND BEHIND ME ON THIS ISSUE AS THE CAPT DID. I ALSO HAD SEVERAL PAX FROM COACH COME UP TO ME DURING THE FLT TO STATE THEY WERE EITHER AHEAD OR BEHIND PAX X AND HAD HEARD WHAT HAPPENED OUT IN THE BOARDING AREA. SOME OF THE COMMENTS WERE, 'THIS PAX X WAS MEAN, NASTY, AND ABUSIVE TO THE AGENTS.'

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.