Women kicked off Delta flight after reporting she smelled alcohol on pilots breath

[Liberal_in_LA]

Woman Kicked Off Flight After Accusing Pilot of Drinking

A Southern California woman is kicked off a Delta Airlines flight after reporting that she smelled alcohol on the pilot's breath.

Angel said the captain spoke to her and the three other passengers. After he walked away, said Angel, another passenger asked if they had smelled alcohol on the pilot's breath.

"A gentleman standing behind me asked, 'Did anyone smell that? It smelled a little like vodka,'" said Angel. "We all agreed that he did smell alcohol, but we didn't know if he had been drinking or what we should do about it."

Angel said she volunteered to talk with the head flight attendant once aboard the plane.

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"The manager wanted to hear what I had told the flight attendant," said Angel. "He then told me the captain took a test that proved he did not have anything to drink."

Angel said the manager then thanked her and she returned to her seat on the plane. At this point, she thought it was over.

"About 20 minutes later, the Delta manager returned with a female colleague and they asked me to gather my belongings and follow them off the flight," said Angel. "I was so embarrassed."

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"If you think someone is drunk, you owe it to yourself, your loved ones and other passengers to report it," said Aimer, who is also a retired United Airlines captain. "However, in this case, because the captain had not been drinking, Delta made the right decision by asking her to leave the plane."

Aimer explains that in situations like this, flights usually end up delayed or canceled because the captain will take himself off the flight.

"It's an either you or me situation," said Aimer. "She had to go because the captain has his crew and hundreds of other passengers to think about."


http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local-beat/Woman-Kicked-off-Delta-Flight-After-Accusing-Pilot-Of-Drinking-99890364.html

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my take - once you accuse the pilot of smelling like alcohol, after he's cleared, he will retaliate by having you kicked off the plane. He won't fly with you so the airline will remove you from the plane.

[Obamanaut]

1. Is it possible that the passenger was removed so that her own peace

of mind could remain intact?

If she had merely been told the pilot had in fact not been drinking any adult beverages she may not have believed it, but could have suspected a coverup.

[Mariana]

34. Nope. She was satisfied that he hadn't been drinking.

"Angel told NBC-LA she was satisfied with that response and thought the issue was over."

[madinmaryland]

2. There has to be more to this story, than just getting kicked off for

suggesting the pilot had been drinking.

:shrug:

[CreekDog]

3. there is:

"A gentleman standing behind me asked, 'Did anyone smell that? It smelled a little like vodka,'" recalled the woman. "We all agreed that he did smell alcohol, but we didn't know if he had been drinking or what we should do about it."

The woman then spoke to the head flight attendant on board the plane: "I told her that I didn't know what protocol is, but I believe I smelled alcohol on one of the pilots' breath."

http://consumerist.com/2010/08/delta-passenger-kicked-off-flight-for-asking-if-pilot-had-been-drinking.html

[CurtEastPoint]

4. There is more. read further...

from CNN:

The pilot -- who was actually the captain on that flight -- responded to Angel and the other passengers. When he walked away, another passenger asked whether anyone smelled alcohol on the pilot’s breath, NBC-LA said.

“We all agreed that he did smell of alcohol, but we didn’t know if he had been drinking or what we should do about it,” Angel told NBC-LA.

Angel said she volunteered to talk with the head flight attendant, saying, “I didn’t know what protocol is, but I believe I smelled alcohol on one of the pilots’ breath,” NBC-LA reported.

Angel then repeated the same thing to one of the other pilots, who assured her that he had been with the captain for several hours before the flight -- and that he had not been drinking.

Angel told NBC-LA she was satisfied with that response and thought the issue was over.

It was, but only briefly.

About 20 minutes after Angel sat down, a manager for Delta escorted her off the plane, where she once more recounted what she said to the pilot.

"We took these allegations very seriously and the pilot responded immediately to Ms. Angel’s concerns," Delta spokeswoman Susan Elliott said in an email to the AJC.

"Consistent with our policies, the crew contacted Flight Operations and Airport Customer Service who followed company policies and engaged a trained evaluator to determine if the pilot was impaired in any way. Following the evaluation, the pilot was cleared for duty."

Was the situation over this time?

No.

Another 20 minutes passed, and this time the Delta manager returned with a co-worker. Angel told NBC-LA that they asked her to remove her things and follow them off the plane.

This time she wasn’t getting back on.

“They told me that they take these accusations very seriously, and that the captain and the crew did not want me on this flight,” Angel told NBC-LA.

Delta gave Angel meal and hotel vouchers and told her she could return in the morning to take another flight to Los Angeles, NBC-LA said.

"Airport Customer Service, in consultation with the flight crew, determined that because the passenger continued to express concern even after the pilot was cleared that it would be best to reaccomodate her on another flight," Elliot wrote in her email to the AJC.

The language contained in air tickets gives airlines substantial discretion. For instance, airlines can refuse to take a passenger who "creates an unreasonable risk of offense or annoyance to other passengers" as well as one whose conduct is "disorderly."

Angel has contacted an attorney.

The attorney has written a complaint to Delta.

[RaleighNCDUer]

22. IOW, it may be settled for this flight

but don't you EVER think about saying anything like this again. And to make sure you get the message we will fuck with your travel arrangements. Next time, you wind up on a no fly list, and get a strip search every time you fly.

[tammywammy]

25. Well, if she was still discussing that the pilot had been drinking after they concluded he hadn't

it makes perfect sense to take her off the flight. Why the need for a lawyer? Why are people so sue happy? If she honestly thought he had been drinking, you'd think she'd wouldn't want to be on that flight, and they gave her hotel vouchers.

All she would do is get other passengers upset and disrupt a flight, after it's been determined the pilot had not been drinking.

[CoffeeCat]

5. How do three people smell alcohol that's not there?

I smell complete bullshit on Delta's part.

Come on. How do three people smell alcohol on someone's breath...that isn't there?

It's possible that he had one drink, a few minutes before they smelled it on his breath--but
when he blew into some alcohol-detection device, he hadn't consume enough to register as
drunk. Or whatever.

I call total bullshit on Delta's part.

As usual, the corporations lie and the consumer is punished. We're chattel and they
call the shots (shots of vodka, I guess).

This sends a horrible message. If you ever suspect that your pilot is stinking drunk, you'd
better keep your trap shut or you could possibly be thrown off of your flight.

Lovely!

[xultar]

6. Listerine smells like booze

[unblock]

20. that's because it is booze

[Hawkowl]

40. He would've tested positive for listerine

You can still blow positive for using listerine as the FAA limit is a very low .04% I would ascribe the three people to either a mild mass hallucination by suggestion or just bad noses.

[iamtechus]

8. It's sometimes called mass hysteria

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_hysteria

[Obamanaut]

12. A prudent person who suspects the "...pilot is stinking drunk..." might

strongly consider taking a later flight.

I suspect someone might argue that he/she must get to destination X by a certain time. And if the plane crashes, doesn't that screw up the timetable also?

[WingDinger]

17. I have heard that diabetics can.

[Jennicut]

26. Fruity-smelling, when we are going through ketoacidosis. I have to check myself for it now and then.

The acid in the blood is too high when it happens. I guess it could smell close to alcohol.

[jberryhill]

31. After shave /nt

[Hawkowl]

39. The limit is .04%

If you have mouthwash or a liquor flavored candy you will blow positive. Most airlines have an even lower acceptable level of .02%

You accuse an airline captain of being drunk you damned well better be right. We are VERY serious in this post 9/11 environment.

As an airline captain, I can have you removed from my plane for ANY or NO reason at my discretion. There is no democracy at 39,000 feet.

And yes, If you don't keep your trap shut, I will throw you off my flight.

[undeterred]

7. If I thought the pilot had been drinking why would I still be on the plane?

[Mariana]

33. Because she didn't think that anymore.

after she was told that he hadn't been drinking.

"Angel told NBC-LA she was satisfied with that response and thought the issue was over."

[madmom]

9. I was always told if you are going to drink and don't want people to smell it....

drink vodka, because it doesn't taint your breath.:shrug:

[seabeyond]

10. that is what i thought. vodka the only booze that doesnt give it away. nt

[donco]

16. Ten four

you could drink a quart of it and pass out.

[SheilaT]

29. That's a myth that has always mystified me.

When someone has been drinking vodka, it's very easy to smell it on them. It's just not as strong as beer, wine, or other hard liquor. But it definitely has an odor.

[Brickbat]

11. Diabetes can make the breath smell like alcohol.

If she really was making a case out of it even after the pilot had been checked, then yes, she was being disruptive.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

13. If a pilot were diabetic he wouldn't be able to fly.

Diabetes will disqualify you from holding a 1st class medical certificate, which an airline pilot has to have.

The woman probably smelled something that wasn't alcohol, or maybe somebody else's breath.

All the airlines have zero tolerance for drinking and flying, so if the pilot passed the test and was allowed to fly, he hadn't been drinking.

[Brickbat]

14. I thought if you could demonstrate that you had it under control, you could get a special issue

allowance.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

23. That's true as long as you don't have to take insulin.

If you do, you'll be stuck with a third-class medical at best. If a pilot's diabetes is developed to the point where his breath smells funny, though, it's not under control and he wouldn't be flying.

[Brickbat]

27. True.

[Cleita]

15. I thought my boss was having nips before coming to

work. I finally confronted him on it. It turns out it was his aftershave that was past its shelf life. The scent had evaporated and all that was left was the alcohol. He threw it out and got fresh after shave. My bet is that was what happened with the pilot. In any case, it seems to be a catch-22 here. My boss was actually grateful that I pointed it out to him since his patients might have thought the same thing.

[ck4829]

18. If she ran around screaming that there were Muslims on the plane and they needed to be booted though

Well, we all know what would have happened next...

Plane lands.
Brown skinned people are booted off in an airport in the middle of nowhere.
And Fox News titles the woman a hero.

[thelordofhell]

38. Wrong

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8857861

[HipChick]

19. Pilots don't really fly anymore..

just the up and down..the computers got it the rest of the time..

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

24. Uh, not so much.

You'd be surprised how much training you need to operate something like an Airbus. Yes, there are a lot of computers involved, but if you don't know how to manage the thing you can get into a whole lot of trouble.

[Name removed]

42. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[pipi_k]

21. Well, as usual, there's a bit more to the story (as someone upthread posted) but

even if three or four people thought they smelled booze, there are all kinds of possibilities.

One of them is, as someone else said...mouthwash

Could have been a hard candy or something

Again, like someone else said...cologne or after shave. In fact, Mr Pip almost got in hot water for smoking pot when he got out of the car and there was a cop nearby who said, "Hmmm...I smell POT". Well it wasn't pot. It was patchouli essential oil.

Can't see why she would be so upset about being removed from that flight anyway, especially if she was that worried about the pilot being under the influence. I sure wouldn't want to be on a plane I suspected was being piloted by someone who might be FWI.

:shrug:

[HipChick]

28. Response from Delta..

"Airport customer service, in consultation with the flight crew, determined that because the passenger continued to express concern, even after the pilot was cleared, that it would be best to re-accommodate her on another flight,

[Bonobo]

30. The effect of this will be to make passengers keep their mouths shut.

So Delta has done the wrong thing in either case.

[krabigirl]

37. Yep..and that is what they want, period. Foying is akin to nearly being in jail anyway.

[Hawkowl]

43. Delta had no choice

Airline captains have the full authority under federal regulations to remove ANYONE for any reason. They could have replaced the whole crew (I doubt any of the crew would not have stood by their captain) or cancelled the flight or--remove a couple of hysterically stupid passengers.

If I EVER thought a pilot had been drinking I would report him but I would NEVER stay on the flight.

[Mariana]

35. And she says she was satisfied that he wasn't drinking.

Someone's lying.

[Raineyb]

36. Indeed. My money is on Delta as the liar. n/t

[Vickers]

32. Every pilots' lounge I've ever been in has had generous amounts of Listerine or Scope

or whatever generic mouth freshener the local economy provides.

It's pretty easy to mistake the smell of those with booze.

Not saying that pilots are perfect...

[Blue_Tires]

41. the pilot probably got vodka-scented aftershave as a gag gift

[yesphan]

44. Hand Sanitizer

My hand sanitizer smells exactly like vodka.
I've smelled others that smell like gin.

[JerseygirlCT]

45. I don't get this

Why does she need to go? Was she continuing to complain so as to make the others on the flight nervous? It reads as if she sits back down after being told he wasn't drinking.

It sure does seem as if this was retribution. Which makes me more suspicious about the pilot.

[JonLP24]

46. Speculating

It might be possible they felt it was needed to kick her off because she might frighten passengers by saying the pilot smelled like liquor but they are in the air meaning the Airlines did nothing. Not saying I agree because I don't. I don't know what to think yet but I just thought I'd throw that out there.