Offloaded passengers

[ianjlloyd]

I was on the last flight from Heathrow to Glasgow last night. At the gate area it was clear that one passenger was not in a good state. Not rowdy (and closer to 60 years old than 20) but incapable of walking in anything like a straight line. He was with a woman who generally seemed to be able to keep him under control.

Rather to my surprise he was allowed to board but almost immediately the Captain appeared in the cabin and next minute he and his partner were leaving the plane. Cue a 30 minute delay whilst their bags were found and taken off.

Idle curiosity perhaps, and I suspect different airlines may have different policies, but I wondered where the responsibility lies between gate staff and flight crew in a case like this. I suspect there must have been some communication. Again what would happen to the passenger? Presumably pay an arm and a leg for an hotel and come back in the morning and pay for a new ticket?

Very sad. I suspect the person would have been likely to have slept through the journey but the plane was packed and I would not have been keen to be the other passenger in his row.

[PAXboy]

In previous discussions on this problem (in this forum) the view has generally been:

• At Check-in, the person may not be so inebriated and staff have no cause to deny boarding.
• At the gate, the staff are often in a mood of 'pass the problem to someone else'. Naturally, this has been argued about a great deal in here but, if it's the last rotation of the day? One can see that getting rid of the problem might be thought a good idea.

[Agaricus bisporus]

It is the responsibility of gate staff to ensure no drunk person boards an aeroplane. However unless the pax have been notably rowdy they almost always find it easier to turn a blind eye and make it the crew's problem. No doubt one of the cabin crew alerted the Capt who did the right thing.
This pax might well have slept through the flight. Equally he might not. But then he might have slept through an evacuation too...and killed people.
Sadly some airlines just allow them to board another flight when sober. IMHO they should always be made to buy a new ticket.
Expensive hotel? I hope only the honeymoon suite was available. Own goal, and hope the idiot doesn't do it again.

[Exascot]

The Air Navigation Order states that no one should enter an aircraft drunk or get drunk on board. End of story. The Captain was correct in his actions and the staff at the gate were not correct in their duties. If they had acted on boarding there may not have been such a long delay.

[lomapaseo]

There is more than being drunk.

Anywhere along the line Check-in, gate boarding and finally being seated aboard, judgments may be made regarding hazards to themselves and/or fellow passengers.

In today's news the greater worry (albeit less common) would be Ebola or other contangions

[nivsy]

Was it Wee Eck and Nikky Stirrrgin?

[Piltdown Man]

Drunk, incapable, obnoxious, vile, cretinous, violent people have to choose a method of transport other than flying. I'll not knowingly let people like this on and neither will my colleagues in the cabin. And the gate staff know this as well. Therefore, if they offer these sorts of passengers to us they compromise their contract with us. Denying a passenger boarding cannot be done quietly.

[Pontius Navigator]

Certainly had this in Cyprus. Ground staff and no doubt Cyp police wanted them off the island. Snr FA, warned by a pax who had been abused, denied boarding.

Took some time but eventually they were taken away.

[Di_Vosh]

I suspect the person would have been likely to have slept through the journey

An assumption that many flight and cabin crew have made in the past, to their later regret, unfortunately.

As others have said, sounds like the ground staff (if they were aware) wanted to pass the problem onto someone else. This happens regularly enough, and the cabin crew have to make their own assessment and inform the captain.

It is a brave (or foolish) captain who would go against the advice of the cabin crew. It happened to me back when I was an FO and we all regretted the decision made by a captain who just wanted to finish his shift.

[1DC]

Many years ago i was on an AirUK Shorts 360 from AMS to HUY and a very drunk Brit was due to sit next to me. He was so drunk he couldn't talk, wouldn't sit down and kept yelling out. I refused to sit next to him but was told that the plane was full and i had to, i then said i would get off but wouldn't sit next to him. The Captain then turned up to tell me I had to let him sit next to me because the plane was full so I again said i would get off. At this time the drunks mate( they were going on leave from an oil rig) offered to sit next to me and the drunk could sit in his seat. The new neighbour said he didn't want the drunk but was told their wasn't any alternative and relented. About halfway through the flight their was a commotion up front when the drunk stood up and threw up all over the head of the passenger in front of him.
I am sure this was a very isolated incident but i was at a loss to understand why the Captain was looking after the interests of the drunk and not me..

[Heathrow Harry]

he flew the route every two weeks at full-fare........................

[Hotel Tango]

or......he was the airline's MD.

[1DC]

How would the Captain know that?
i was also on a business ticket and working in the oil industry and my company had someone on the flight nearly every day.
I also knew the owners of the airline, not that i told them about it..
Even if the rig business was important to the company the chap shouldn't have been allowed on board..

[maliyahsdad2]

At this time the drunks mate( they were going on leave from an oil rig) offered to sit next to me and the drunk could sit in his seat. The new neighbour said he didn't want the drunk but was told their wasn't any alternative and relented.

Couldn't you have sat in the drunk mates seat and let the drunks mate sit with the drunk?

[1DC]

Still wouldn't have stopped the drunk being sick over another passenger.

Still it was a very long time ago and i believe it wouldn't have happened in this day and age..