In uniform- pax makes a drunk pilot "joke"
 

Here's the scenario. This happened to me. What would you do?

You are eating lunch in uniform in a relatively full gate area minding your own business but with empty seats around you, when a woman says in a loud voice that is heard by many pax in the surrounding area that she is going to "sit next to this pilot and see if he is drunk!" She then proceeds to sit right next to you.

You are about to:

1. Jumpseat in the cockpit

or

2. Fly the trip that is departing from this gate

What do you for each case if you feel the reaction should be different.

I said "Ma'am, it is completely inappropriate to make jokes like that" and I walked away. (I was j/s btw)

What do you do?

Anyone got their own similar stories and resolutions?

#1 I'll have to think about it.

#2 I'd inform her and the gate agent that I'm off to the medical clinic so she doesn't have to worry about whether or not I'm drunk, the proof will be right on the paper when I return.

Ignore her because people are idiots.

Change out of uniform, put on a disguise, PIMP SLAP THE FECAL MATTER OUT OF HER, then hurry away, change again and board the plane for your flight. :cool:

OR...........proceed with a verbal assault like what Gordon Ramsey does on Hell's Kitchen.

This, if I'm operating.

I don't mess around with career ending allegations. I would call the CP and let them know I will need an alcohol screening. I would advise the crew and agent of my intentions.

This:

http://d37nnnqwv9amwr.cloudfront.net.../545/OpoQQ.jpg

Yes, people have said stupid things like that to me before as well.

How can allegations be career ending? If you're clean they can say all they want. If someone wants to test you, go right ahead. Until someone tells me otherwise I'm going to finish my #3 with Diet Coke and then I'm flying to Denver.

I'm not missing my go home flight to get pee tested because someone made a stupid joke.

dudnt take much nowadays. thats why i agree with contrails and usmc...i would explain to the lady how incredibly inappropriate that was. i would explain to her briefly how much time and money you have invested in your job and that as a true professional even meant as a joke, her remarks are completely offensive. then, find the nearest available screening, whether it be a police officer with a breathalyzer or my company drug/alcohol officer. id make sure there was proof i was 0.00% just in case she would take her allegation further. thats a situation, given today's environment, i would want to take proactive steps rather than reactive steps.

Jumpseating, exactly what the OP did. Tell her how inappropriate and offensive it is to even joke about that and walk away.

Working the flight, tell her I'd be happy to delay the flight to go take a test to prove that I am, in fact, fit to fly, or she could immediately cease any jokes, comments or accusations about my sobriety and we'd leave on time.

Is there any recourse towards the accuser? Can't make "bomb" jokes in front of TSA. Why not ask the accuser to tag along for the testing just so she is sure you're okay - maybe she'll miss her flight. Sounds like she's the one that's drunk and should be denied boarding.

Jumpseating on non-company business, I would politely tell her that the joke isn't funny, rather quite serious.

Allegations can be career ending if you're operating the flight because if anything happens (God forbid), you know the media would immediately jump on the "fact" that "there were passengers in the boarding area who had concerns about the pilot's sobriety. The airline involved did not go to any length to determine the pilot's level of intoxication." All it takes is a slow news day.

For that matter, if it's slow enough of a news day, you could get an article even without an incident: "Airline takes off with allegedly drunk pilot. Passengers expressed concerns during boarding, and the only response they received from the pilot was 'don't joke around about that'."

Sure, in the long run you would probably be able to exonerate yourself, but only after being hung, drawn, and quartered in the court of public opinion.

Easy. Go take a breathalyzer test and make a PA saying that this woman acused you for being drunk and that the flight will delayed until this is resolved. Should create some entertainment for the other pax for a couple of hours while you go blow.

Wow people.

1. Ignore her.

2. Ignore her.

No need to be a drama queen about it. At the most, give her the stink eye, shae your head and go back to eating. You haven't been drinking, nothing to worry about. Period.

I thought I remember reading an article where a passenger actually got in trouble for making a remark like that about the crew at one point? Maybe it's just wishful thinking.

If I'm jumpseating (going home) I would explain to her how inappropriate she is being right now. I would then tell her I'm going to get a law enforcement officer to come discuss this allegation with us. I would then walk away, only to come back a few minutes later and just sit somewhere else. I wouldn't ever actually get an officer. It would be just enough to get them worried.

If I'm working the flight I would actually get a LEO (stressing an actual LEO, not the badge carrying, smurf dressing, officer pretending kind) and have them make sure I'm am 100% good and get it on paper. I would then ask the LEO to explain this to her, and scare her as much as possible that she is close to being in trouble. I would then do everything in my power to deny her boarding on my flight. I don't want a passenger that is thinking I'm drunk being on my plane with the potential to cause havoc. Also, it would make me feel better knowing she is having to suffer at least a little.

Man! You got it! When the other pax hear she is making the flight take a delay.... "Victory is mine!". :cool: People should think about what they say and know that there are consequences.

But seriously, if someone called me out like that in public, I would get tested.

This happened to my flight crew here in Europe, we denied the passenger boarding and that was that. Company had no problem with our decision, they were actually glad we did it.

Get tested. No question.

I've seen WAY too many news reports that are inaccurate and blown out of proportion. At least if it was blown out when I made the decision to get tested she looks like the giant a$$-clown and not me ;)

Never know who may be sitting in/around your gate area when something like that goes down.

I've had a passenger make a drunk remark when I was getting in the cockpit and got my pants hung on the door latch and stumbled trying to get free without ripping my pants. I turned to him and asked him to knock it off. Before I could explain why the pax around him lit into him as they apparently understood the ramifications in that if I had to be pulled from duty to test then they will likely end up with a cx or seriously delayed flight.

In this case it was a joke on his part and I continued the flight. If he had not been making fun or if he had continued past my telling him to knock it off then I would have contacted my chief and removed myself from flight status pending etoh screening.

I do not feel that an accusation can hurt you so long as you are clean. It is not the accusation but rather the positive test that screws you. That being said I would still not fly if the person was serious or if he or she would not knockout off immediately.

Because if you fly the trip with a customer who "believes" that you are intoxicated and then voices their concerns to you there may be an issue. They can call any news outlet and give them all their facts on how they were so confident in their assumption and that after voicing their concern you continued to operate the flight.

At this point it will be too late for a test and you would pass anyway but I have a feeling it could cause you a headache or possible suspension pending investigation while it all gets sorted out. Companies do not take this kind of media coverage lightly and will take the necessary steps to ensure their flight was operated according to the rules.

My point being that it doesnt take much of a ripple to make a wave. Me personally, I will not mess around with this. If they have reason to believe I am intoxicated I will get tested to clear my name and then not allow them to fly on my flight (if I am not removed from the trip as a result of the testing delay).

regardless of whether you call the CP office and get yourself checked or fly the trip, I really hope the offending passenger has their luggage lost and gets to sit next to the smelly fat guy.

actually--N9373M is onto something. You round up security, she has to come along to make a statement. Should take a few hours. Then you round up the individuals to do the test along with airline supervisors---who watch you and make sure they repeatedly ask her if she is satisfied with the test results. All according to the law and within the requests of ALL parties, accused and accuser.

I like it. It'll be the last time they make a joke like that.

I have never heard of a flight getting delayed to accommodate a jump seater. They would simply leave you. Running to get an unwarranted alcohol test to prove your innocence to a tarded pax seems over reactive and puts you on the defensive. If you did nothing wrong, there is no action to take. There are people out there who try to gain control by putting you in a defensive posture. If you react, or retaliate you have played into their game and have already lost. I think you did the right thing.

Ya'll are missing the most important thing here. What does your company's Ops Manual say? Where I work, there is not much guidance for jumpseating, but working a flight and being accused warrants a call to the CPSC and removal from the flight until tested. Any accusation, even jokingly, is an accusation, and there can be ramifications from the company for just blowing it off.

Here's the scenario:

Joe Bagadonuts, being the dumbass that he is, makes a joking accusation about you drinking. HaHa, very funny. You give him the stinkeye and carry on.

Larry, the ambulance chaser, already a fearful flyer, doesn't get the subtle undertones of Joe's humor and thinks that it was a serious accusation that you just blew off. Next thing you know, Action News at Six is hyping the story and the FAA and CP is looking for you.

Don't think it can happen? It already has on numerous occasions and that is why there is company guidance on what to do when accused. If your company doesn't have any formal guidance, at a minimum, you should call the CP with all the pertinent info before flying.

Possible answers:

1. Marla! When did you get out of prison? How is rehab going, are they treating you well at the halfway house?

2. Embrace in a light headlock and administer noogies.

3. Tell her it is cavity search day at TSA and you need her to follow you.

4. Tell the agent to call security, there is a known terrorist on the no fly list that you have detained.

Something similar happened to me in San Antonio a few months ago. Someone made a joking comment about whether or not we were drunk after a somewhat turbulent descent from 10k to touchdown. We got the gate agent, explained what had happened, called the chief pilot, told the chief pilot what had happened and that we were not impaired, had the gate agent confirm to the chief pilot that we were, in her opinion, not impaired, and boarded about 15 minutes late after we sorted it out. Unfortunately, the passenger was getting off, not on, so we couldn't make an example of him.

Not to distract from this thread, but it always amazes me that pilots get the 'alcoholic' stereotype, yet go into ANY airport at 6am and I guarantee you some cubicle drone is sitting at the bar drinking a cold one.

After the issue is resolved:
1. Reseat her in the last row
2. Turn up the heat
3. Turn OFF yaw damp
4. Demonstrate Dutch Rolls for the entire flight

What he said.

My answer to your post, based on my "perception" of your story:
1. Go J/S, unless FOM dictates otherwise.
2. Go Fly your trip, unless FOM dictates otherwise.

It's interesting to read the varying degrees of responses to MrBigAir's post. I noticed most responses to the post were extreme, handling the issue with the utmost seriousness, while some posts joked about it, and very few posts in the middle. Unfortunately, IMHO, we live in a society where perception becomes reality which is why most of the responses deal with career protection measures (which are prudent and justified). Personally, I don't subscribe to overreacting. If I get called "on the carpet" by my CP, I simply provide the truth, take the required drug tests, and let the facts prevail, but that's just me.

-jc23

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.

+1. Funny stuff. Don't know about the PA announcement though; I wouldn't want any liability for the verbal abuse she suffers at the hands of other PAX. I'd probably have her told discretely that she caused the delay—the knowledge is probably guilt and shame enough for a decent person to learn the lesson. If she doesn't get it, then there's probably not much hope anyways.

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.

I had a similar situation where a guy sticks his head in the cockpit and says "Have you guys been drinking?" I said to my FO and SO, pack up your bags. I then got on the PA and alerted the pax to the gentleman standing at the cockpit door and his question. I further informed them that they would now need to gather up their carry on's and deplane: while the ENTIRE crew goes and gets drug and alcohol tested since our legality has been questioned. But not to worry, the company will get a replacement crew and their vacations to Cancun would only be delayed by four to five hours. Feel free to thank this man for his concern for their safety and not to worry about this crew; we get paid anyways and get the next three days off. Thank you for flying with us and have a wonderful time in Mexico when you get there. I heard about two hours after we left DFW, security had to be called to the gate. :)

Excellent reply.
Good point. It is easy to forget that many of your passengers are at their limit of irrational fear anytime they get near an airport.

Just mention the passenger and the complaint and you are covered, no need to bend over for every looney that happens by-it would be a busy day if you did.

Best story yet! :D

Our company, Champion AIr, had a Zero Tolerance policy on stupid or unruly behaved passengers. Oh by the way later that afternoon I had the pleasure of expaining the "back course procedure" to a lovely FA over margaritas in the hottub!!!! And getting $108 an hour to do it!!!! Yea baby, yea.....

http://www.shandygaff.com/x/images/c...rgan_poses.jpg

I thought it was a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader. :confused: