Too Much Work

BobDDuck · January 7th, 2008, 00:30

I've been on vacation for almost 2 weeks. Today was my first day back. I was really hoping it would be an easy day, despite having 7+ hours of flying scheduled. Unfortunately it didn't go that way.

Halfway through and we were sitting at the gate in Atlanta. The flight was oversold and they sent 50 people plus a jumpseater out. We get all set to go, and our FA (male) informs us that the woman sitting in 1D (bulkhead row with no underseat storage in front) was refusing to put her bag in the overhead bin for take off. She sort of would pay attention to him but then wouldn't do it. She then asked if she could put it under her seat but of course that is for the person behind her so she couldn't. She then started to say that she was deaf and didn't understand what he was saying (despite that fact she had responded to his requests before).

The gate agent (who was still on board) and the FA eventually solved the problem by moving her to row 2 so she could keep her bag under the seat in front of her. We then closed up and pushed back. I had the left engine going and the tug was still connected when the FA called up and said we had to go back to the gate and he wanted this passenger off.

side story... there are some FAs out there who's mission in life is to remove a passenger every flight. They find stupid stuff to complain about or get really confrontational in the hope the passenger fights back. This guy isn't one of those, so I was inclined to believe that he had a problem.

That captain called the tug up and told them to pull us back into the gate while I called Ops and told them to send a gate agent down. We got back to the gate, shut down and opened the door. The FA then explained to us that the same passenger as before (who I'd thought was probably an older lady... hence the complaining about the bag but was actually a women in her 20s) wouldn't turn off her blackberry. When asked the first time she said "one minute" and then ignored the FA the second and third time. He'd (justifiably) had enough.

So, the gate agent came on and told the passenger she was going to have to get off. She then fell back on her "I'm deaf... I'm deaf" speech. Now, she may have been, but it's hard to tell. She spoke completely normal english and she seemed to selectively understand what people were saying to her. Anyhow, she refused to move when the gate agent asked her to leave the plane so eventually 2 police officers were called out and she refused to even listen or communicate with them. The eventually had to drag her out of her seat, cuff her and pull her down the airplane steps and into one of their cars. After that it took 20 minutes to do some paperwork, get more fuel and pull this woman's bags before we were on our way to Philly.

Odd huh?

And to add to it, we ended the day with a PHL-Columbia flight. My leg, descending though 5000 feet on a visual approach, both the captain and I smell smoke. We look at each other and the FA call light comes on. He answers it and is told by the FA that somebody has just lit up a cigarette. Ah... Hello? WTF is up with people today. Apparently the guy was completely trashed ("drunker then a monkey on the hard stuff" according to a guy sitting across from him). He put it out and denied he ever had one. After the day we'd had we just let it go, although I would have liked to have seen him in trouble a bit.

I really hope tomorrow is better.

Berkut · January 7th, 2008, 01:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by BobDDuck

somebody has just lit up a cigarette. Ah... Hello?

Sounds like the perfect job for a fire extinguisher.

That woman must have had some kind of mental problem, or she was drunk or high or something. No sober/sane person is that obstinate.

Okay, I just disagreed with myself after I read that last sentence.

tonyw · January 7th, 2008, 01:06

I think you should have taken off and let the pax beat her down. I guess she couldn't use the Blackberry if all her fingers were broken and all of her finger nails were removed, right?

Or made an announcement on the PA about how you couldn't move because one of their fellow passengers refused to turn off her Blackberry and ask for help persuading her to do it.

I think a few well placed blows to her head would render her unable to use the Blackberry.

Sorry, I just got done playing hockey and I've got a lot of adrenaline to work off. I didn't get to lay anyone out tonight so...

bike21 · January 7th, 2008, 01:30

Ahh...the joys of flying folks around. We had an 80 year old woman grab and kick one our FAs the other day enroute from Vancouver. She got escorted off the the plane by a few LAPD's finest airport cops when we landed

Welcome back from vacation!

Doug Taylor · January 7th, 2008, 01:54

Another reason I love international. Far fewer passenger problems!

Although, on the JFK-SVO leg, we did have a couple of smokers and a drunk couple "self-serving" themselves liquor and got in a loud argument in Russian.

SaberFlyer · January 7th, 2008, 08:50

Drunkenness seems to be the problem with international flights more than regional ones. There was a really drunk passanger crying to a FA on my flight from Amsterdam. It thought it was funny because maybe it was the knowledge of getting arrested when we land in Philly that made him start crying to the FA? What happens if a person has a panic attack?

LoadMasterC141 · January 7th, 2008, 08:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by BobDDuck

side story... there are some FAs out there who's mission in life is to remove a passenger every flight. They find stupid stuff to complain about or get really confrontational in the hope the passenger fights back.

Maybe it is just me, but the quality of FA on regional flights last year, for me, went way down. I have met the FA you speak of many times unfortunately, and I am nothing but a quiet conforming passenger.

I have also met the type of passenger you speak of as well. They are tuly nuts. I think it has something to do with the small space of a regional jet bringing out the worst in people. It makes them subconsciously claustrophobic and they begin to defend their space vehemently, even in that form.

As a LoadMaster, I had to deal with a young butter bar who would not stop going to the back window of the plane at 30-some thousand feet. No O2 back there so crew only. The Captain finally had to come back and tell him to sit with seatbelt fastened for the rest of the flight. He did not. He came off in handcuffs when we landed.

NC_BE300 · January 7th, 2008, 11:35

It sounds like this woman had "selective hearing" to me.

BobDDuck · January 7th, 2008, 11:38

I think travel just makes some people nervous. They are out of their element (no movie quotes please...) and they tend to lash out in what ever way possible. We've all seen the husband/wife duo going at each other in the airport over the stupidest stuff. Sure, maybe some of them are like that every day, but the divorce rate would be a lot higher if they all were (or there would be a lot more practicing catholics).

All three of us (the crew yesterday) really did feel bad for this girl who we kicked off. She was going international to go back to school and for what ever reasons she was just incapable of traveling. We hashed it out several times on the flight back up to Philly once we kicked her off and we truly believe that we did it by the book and gave her every chance to cooperate. Even the cops gave her several chances to walk off the airplane before they had to cuff her and drag her down the steps.

Actually, a funny part of the story that I left out...

There was an Airways-west 320 parked to our left that was in the process of doing a turn. Our jumpseater was an Airways-east guy and made some comment about how much he got screwed on seniority (18 years actually) but then went on to say, he really hope the lists just get merged soon so everybody can move on. Anyhow, as the cops are dragging this woman down the steps and across the ramp to their car) both 320 pilots are pressed up against the FO's side windows watching. I looked back at out jumpseater and said "we should go over there and be like 'yeah, dawg... this is how we roll on the east side'."

It did break some of the tension from having to boot the passenger.

EDUC8-or · January 7th, 2008, 11:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by BobDDuck

I think travel just makes some people nervous. They are out of their element (no movie quotes please...) and they tend to lash out in what ever way possible. We've all seen the husband/wife duo going at each other in the airport over the stupidest stuff. Sure, maybe some of them are like that every day, but the divorce rate would be a lot higher if they all were (or there would be a lot more practicing catholics).

All three of us (the crew yesterday) really did feel bad for this girl who we kicked off. She was going international to go back to school and for what ever reasons she was just incapable of traveling. We hashed it out several times on the flight back up to Philly once we kicked her off and we truly believe that we did it by the book and gave her every chance to cooperate. Even the cops gave her several chances to walk off the airplane before they had to cuff her and drag her down the steps.

Actually, a funny part of the story that I left out...

There was an Airways-west 320 parked to our left that was in the process of doing a turn. Our jumpseater was an Airways-east guy and made some comment about how much he got screwed on seniority (18 years actually) but then went on to say, he really hope the lists just get merged soon so everybody can move on. Anyhow, as the cops are dragging this woman down the steps and across the ramp to their car) both 320 pilots are pressed up against the FO's side windows watching. I looked back at out jumpseater and said "we should go over there and be like 'yeah, dawg... this is how we roll on the east side'."

It did break some of the tension from having to boot the passenger.

You forgot to add that you're a huge jerk and just your presence on the airplane probably set her off.

Doug Taylor · January 7th, 2008, 11:49

Classy.

jynxyjoe · January 7th, 2008, 11:50

tell him he smells funny too!

BobDDuck · January 7th, 2008, 12:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by EDUC8-or

You forgot to add that you're a huge jerk and just your presence on the airplane probably set her off.

Huh... Of course. I wonder why I didn't think of that. Maybe *I* should have just left the airplane. There are a bunch of flights back to DAY from ATL. I could be HOME right now. Grrr.

ComplexHiAv8r · January 7th, 2008, 12:49

But, but.....was she HOT?

UND_Flyer · January 7th, 2008, 13:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by ComplexHiAv8r

But, but.....was she HOT?

I was waiting for that!

ComplexHiAv8r · January 7th, 2008, 16:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by UND_Flyer

I was waiting for that!

I'm surprised I had to ask. I figured someone else would of before post #10.

I actually slightly disapointed it took so long.

tonyw · January 7th, 2008, 20:04

You're a better man than me for feeling sorry for this woman.

I figure she was given PLENTY of chances and she blew them all. No sympathy from me.

jynxyjoe · January 7th, 2008, 21:20

I don't want to work, i just want to bang on my drum all day.

EDUC8-or · January 7th, 2008, 23:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by BobDDuck

Huh... Of course. I wonder why I didn't think of that. Maybe *I* should have just left the airplane. There are a bunch of flights back to DAY from ATL. I could be HOME right now. Grrr.

You could be at home watching the Buckeyes lose and studying for upgrade. How many numbers to go now?

PGT · January 8th, 2008, 00:07

+1 reason to go corporate

Doug Taylor · January 8th, 2008, 00:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by PGT

+1 reason to go corporate

Then you'd have a drunken Richard Simmons banging on the cockpit door pleading for you to take your shirt off!

Unless, of course, you're into that!

Maximillian_Jenius · January 8th, 2008, 00:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doug Taylor

Then you'd have a drunken Richard Simmons banging on the cockpit door pleading for you to take your shirt off!

Unless, of course, you're into that!

You do remember the picture text he sent me, and my story bout' when we roomed together in Vegas, right?

BobDDuck · January 8th, 2008, 01:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by EDUC8-or

You could be at home watching the Buckeyes lose and studying for upgrade. How many numbers to go now?

I was cheering for LSU too.

40 maybe?

Doug Taylor · January 8th, 2008, 01:56

Max versus PGT posts moved to.... "Max vs PGT" in the Lav!