The point is, captplaystation, that people will report suspicious behaviour because they suspect that your colleagues and their "quiet word" may just not do the trick.
It's rather like travelling on the London Underground. If we see someone acting suspiciously then we'll inform a member of staff, and that way everyone's happy because the worst outcome is a little embarrassment.
Similarly, if we suspect our "professional" flight crew may have been drinking (which is, incidentally, against the law), we'll make sure the authorities investigate it before passengers get on board.
Nutloose: to answer your question, yes you absolutely would be liable if you were drunk and came to the cockpit and then caused a problem because by intervening you assume a duty of care. Same legal principle applies to a doctor on board who gets involved in an emergency: you assume responsibility.
Last edited by Nicholas49; 14th Dec 2008 at 15:38.