Originally Posted by embflieger

There are two interests here: protecting yourself professionally, and being personally, and justifiably, offended.

In my opinion, the first is most important. I would pull out my phone, call my CP, and not so subtly state that it "had been suggested, without cause, that I might be intoxicated. She's right here, would you like to speak with her? Shall we cancel that flight while I get a breathalyzer?" You might not feel compelled to go that far, but at the absolute minimum, I'd ask for guidance from the company. That way they've vetted you, and can't easily subsuquently subject you to ridiculous "disciplinary action". Handled smoothly, this would likely cower the passenger I'll refer to as "Madame Bovine."

If I were working the flight, I'd imagine the worst-case scenario, say a tire blows or my Pratt & Whitneys combine with goose migration patterns for a bad day. Then it's like an off-duty cop at a bar that kills a mugger: You're automatically suspect, an easy target, and it doesn't matter how right you are. It doesn't have to be true to ruin your career, especially when several hours later "of course he blew a .000" I think if you're about to fly, in this case you have to take measures that might seem Draconian to anyone whose career is not on the line. Better safe than really, really sorry.

A few years ago, a friend of mine had a passenger "joke" while boarding that the crew should take a sobriety test. So they did what I would've done, and initially asked their chief pilot. They were told that to go get tested. However, management backpedalled like a 3 year-old in high-speed tricycle reverse when they realized what would happen to the flight, and what it would cost. They got tested anyway.

Originally Posted by MrBigAir

Great replies.

I think it's pertinent to point out that she didn't outright accuse me of being drunk, just that she was going to investigate if I was or not, so my status in her statement was still pending. I think a more direct accusation would have warranted a stronger response.

Many pax are scared pantless to go flying, and I chalk up most of this normally unacceptable behavior to nervousness, and I cut them slack accordingly. Unfortunately, as was mentioned, we do get stereotyped, and worse yet is that old game of "telephone" where one pax may make a joke but within 15min, it gets blown way out of proportion by other bystanders... and then we trip on the priority-boarding-carpet or drop our rollaway on the gateway door trim, and the pax are on the phone faster than you can grab that last packet of Biscoffs.

So it's a tricky situation, every case has to be taken on an individual basis.