Scotland welcomes quality tourists

A flight between Tunisia and Scotland had to be diverted after a drunk passenger attacked cabin crew with her prosthetic leg. The woman demanded тАЬcigarettes and a parachuteтАЭ and became aggressive when staff asked her to calm down. Holidaymaker John Smith, from Falkirk, said the woman slapped a young girl in a neighbouring seat before unfastening her leg and swinging it at flight attendants. http://www.scotsman.com/news/odd/drunk- ... -1-3495360

I'm reminded of the once-popular saying, for which no-one can definitively cite an origin although it is often said to be Australian - "Too late," she cried as she waved her wooden leg.

[LoveThailand]

She was returning home. A snapshot that makes one wonder about some things....
тАЬIt sounds funny, but it was not a laughing matter at the time. It was serious. She was totally drunk. It was shocking.тАЭ - Intoxicated passengers are supposed to be denied boarding.
тАЬShe was disabled and the family had left her on her own. While they got a taxi, they let her stay on.тАЭ - hmmm.... Some family.

[christianpfc]

An acquaintance of mine (not a friend) was not allowed boarding on the second part of his Bangkok - Dubai (?) - Berlin trip because he got drunk and aggressive on the first part of the trip. He had to buy a ticket with another airline to get from Dubai (?) to Berlin.

Story reported by a common friend and totally believable (said acquaintance is well know in his area in Bangkok and banned from most venues within 5 km, for exactly the same behavior on ground).

Diverting a flight for a drunken and aggressive passenger, or for a deceased passenger, is irresponsible, considering the inconvenience caused for other passengers. If they have someone on the plane who can fly a plane, they must have someone who can handle an aggressive drunk.

[lego]

Diverting a flight for a drunken and aggressive passenger, or for a deceased passenger, is irresponsible, considering the inconvenience caused for other passengers. If they have someone on the plane who can fly a plane, they must have someone who can handle an aggressive drunk.

Quite right. A group of fellow passengers could restrain the offender while an air hostess injects a healthy dose of Pentobarbital. Then follow the well established "death on board" procedure.

[LoveThailand]

Procedures depend very much on airlines in question. I witnessed a business class passenger on a LH FRA-BKK flight taken off before departure for being drunk. He was not acting aggressively - but was heavily intoxicated. The cabin crew decided to take him off. Good for me - more privacy on the flight
Checking in on an Aeroflot flight (I guess from Almaty). A guy in front of me - totally wasted. They went forward checking him in - and when I tried to mention that he was not fit to fly was told they can do nothing since he has a booking. Ridiculous. As luck would have it - he was seated across the isle from me on the flight. Started from producing a whole bottle of brandy (not sure if bought from the on board duty free or brought with him). Offered me a drink - after I refused started bothering other passengers. The cabin crew did noting. I closed my eyes and dozed off only to open them an hour or so later and see the said individual stripped to his slips, obviously enjoying himself and vomiting on the passenger next to him.

[a447]

Procedures depend very much on airlines in question.

Once the last paperwork has been handed over to airport officials, and they have left the aircraft the captain of the aircraft can decide whether or not a drunken passenger can fly, as he is now totally in charge of the plane, not the airport. The airline doesn't have a say in it, although pressure may be placed on pilots to either remove drunks or let them fly. The decisions made by LH and Aeroflot come as no surprise.

Christian, diverting to off-load a deceased passenger is a much better option than the alternative!

[LoveThailand]

Yes, the captain is in charge. I assume captains are guided by individual airlines policies. These may or may not differ. Enforcement is another matter - as I doubt (even) Aeroflot policies allow drunken rowdy passengers on board.

[christianpfc]

Christian, diverting to off-load a deceased passenger is a much better option than the alternative!

What alternative?

Come on, the person in question is already dead. Let's assume with diversion, it takes one hour to get him off the plane, whereas continuing the flight takes 5 hours. I would happily sit next to a dead person for 5 hours instead of taking a diversion (which will increase traveling time by at least 2 hours, my estimation). 100 passengers, 2 hours delay, that's 200 man hours, that's about 2.5 months work for one person!

Furthermore, there is about 50 % chance that he is going back to his home country, where his family can directly claim the body. Just imagine the hazzle, say the dead person is on his way from Greece back to England (I mean UK), and they land in France or Germany to get the body off the plane, and then he has to be transferred to England for burial.

[LoveThailand]

Christian, diverting to off-load a deceased passenger is a much better option than the alternative!

What alternative?

Come on, the person in question is already dead. Let's assume with diversion, it takes one hour to get him off the plane, whereas continuing the flight takes 5 hours. I would happily sit next to a dead person for 5 hours instead of taking a diversion (which will increase traveling time by at least 2 hours, my estimation). 100 passengers, 2 hours delay, that's 200 man hours, that's about 2.5 months work for one person!

Furthermore, there is about 50 % chance that he is going back to his home country, where his family can directly claim the body. Just imagine the hazzle, say the dead person is on his way from Greece back to England (I mean UK), and they land in France or Germany to get the body off the plane, and then he has to be transferred to England for burial.

The discussion was not about a dead passenger on board. As far as I know airlines do not divert flights in case of a death on board. Diversions/emergency landings happen on security reasons when the captain decides any of passengers on board pose a threat. I can hardly call this irresponsible.

[scottish-guy]

.....back to England (I mean UK).....

Brownie points for realising there's a difference - but, having done so, why didn't you just change it?

Bizarre