Narrative:

Myself and a couple of the other crew (flight attendant) observed passenger in terminal. She was walking around in a daze. I was greeting passenger at door and passenger observed in terminal boarded aircraft. I asked her if she was ok. She said she was just tired. I asked if she had been drinking. She said no. I asked again. She said yes, just one. I was allowing her to take her seat and going to tell #1 flight attendant and captain but she fell into the closet wall. I asked her to stay at entry door. Informed #1 flight attendant and captain. She smelled of alcohol and her behavior appeared intoxicated. We (#1 flight attendant and captain) were in agreement, she doesn't go. The agents came down to aircraft and said she was fine, she wasn't slurring her words. Agent called dispatch. Passenger did not go on our flight. However, passenger was rebooked and was passenger on a flight departing from lax to ord the next day. This passenger was not fit for travel. She was intoxicated, either by drugs or alcohol, or both. 2 passenger at end of my flight asked 'did the drunk girl get on?' they said she was 'out of her mind,' they saw her in the terminal. I believe the agents wanted to put her on our flight so they would not have to deal with her. Had I not seen her in the terminal, I would not have stopped her at aircraft entry and questioned her. The flight attendants would not have discovered her intoxication until we were away from gate. Nowadays, with self-ticketing, no one really gets a chance to observe passenger. Agents and flight attendants are both short-staffed. Before departure, flight attendants don't get a chance to observe passenger for very long. Passenger should be better observed before they make it to the aircraft.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B767-300 FLT ATTENDANT NOTICED AN INEBRIATED PAX IN THE TERMINAL, WHO LATER PRESENTED HERSELF FOR BOARDING WHICH WAS DENIED BY THE RPTR, BUT DEFENDED BY THE GATE AGENT WHO PLACED THE PAX ON THE NEXT FLT.

Narrative: MYSELF AND A COUPLE OF THE OTHER CREW (FLT ATTENDANT) OBSERVED PAX IN TERMINAL. SHE WAS WALKING AROUND IN A DAZE. I WAS GREETING PAX AT DOOR AND PAX OBSERVED IN TERMINAL BOARDED ACFT. I ASKED HER IF SHE WAS OK. SHE SAID SHE WAS JUST TIRED. I ASKED IF SHE HAD BEEN DRINKING. SHE SAID NO. I ASKED AGAIN. SHE SAID YES, JUST ONE. I WAS ALLOWING HER TO TAKE HER SEAT AND GOING TO TELL #1 FLT ATTENDANT AND CAPT BUT SHE FELL INTO THE CLOSET WALL. I ASKED HER TO STAY AT ENTRY DOOR. INFORMED #1 FLT ATTENDANT AND CAPT. SHE SMELLED OF ALCOHOL AND HER BEHAVIOR APPEARED INTOXICATED. WE (#1 FLT ATTENDANT AND CAPT) WERE IN AGREEMENT, SHE DOESN'T GO. THE AGENTS CAME DOWN TO ACFT AND SAID SHE WAS FINE, SHE WASN'T SLURRING HER WORDS. AGENT CALLED DISPATCH. PAX DID NOT GO ON OUR FLT. HOWEVER, PAX WAS REBOOKED AND WAS PAX ON A FLT DEPARTING FROM LAX TO ORD THE NEXT DAY. THIS PAX WAS NOT FIT FOR TRAVEL. SHE WAS INTOXICATED, EITHER BY DRUGS OR ALCOHOL, OR BOTH. 2 PAX AT END OF MY FLT ASKED 'DID THE DRUNK GIRL GET ON?' THEY SAID SHE WAS 'OUT OF HER MIND,' THEY SAW HER IN THE TERMINAL. I BELIEVE THE AGENTS WANTED TO PUT HER ON OUR FLT SO THEY WOULD NOT HAVE TO DEAL WITH HER. HAD I NOT SEEN HER IN THE TERMINAL, I WOULD NOT HAVE STOPPED HER AT ACFT ENTRY AND QUESTIONED HER. THE FLT ATTENDANTS WOULD NOT HAVE DISCOVERED HER INTOXICATION UNTIL WE WERE AWAY FROM GATE. NOWADAYS, WITH SELF-TICKETING, NO ONE REALLY GETS A CHANCE TO OBSERVE PAX. AGENTS AND FLT ATTENDANTS ARE BOTH SHORT-STAFFED. BEFORE DEP, FLT ATTENDANTS DON'T GET A CHANCE TO OBSERVE PAX FOR VERY LONG. PAX SHOULD BE BETTER OBSERVED BEFORE THEY MAKE IT TO THE 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.