Flight Attendant Bars Couple From Boarding Plane — 'You Guys Are Jeopardizing The Safety Of This Aircraft, So I'm Threatened By Both Of You'
The flight attendant refused to let the couple board for fear of other passengers' safety.
Reddit In a video that has since gone viral, a couple was angered after they were told they were not allowed to board their flight.
In the three-minute-long clip posted to the subreddit r/PublicFreakout, an unnamed flight attendant was seen blocking the entrance to the plane while a couple was trying to board their flight, and refused to let them pass for fear of the safety of the other passengers.
The flight attendant banned the couple from boarding after noticing they were intoxicated.
In the clip, the flight attendant was explaining why a couple wasn't being allowed to board after one of them had exhibited signs of being intoxicated. "You cannot come on this aircraft," the Southwest Airlines flight attendant told the couple.
When one of the passengers, who was speaking off-camera, pointed out that the flight attendant was "shaking," she confirmed that it was because they were "jeopardizing the safety of this aircraft, so I'm threatened by you."
The flight attendant told both the man and woman waiting to board that they were not being allowed on the flight because she and other crew members had noticed the woman, Carrie Konczal, was unable to function correctly because of the consumption of alcohol.
As a justification, the flight attendant pointed out that Konczal had been "flipping all over the ground," and was being increasingly "loud" while passengers were waiting to board. The flight attendant also noticed that Konczal's disruptive behavior had started after she began drinking.
When Konczal tried to argue that she had only consumed a single glass of wine, the flight attendant rebutted that she was "exhibiting signs of being intoxicated," including not being able to walk straight, and therefore wasn't allowed on the flight.
“Do I seem intoxicated to you right now?” Konczal asked the flight attendant, to which she answered, "Yeah, you do. You aren’t following any sort of instructions that any of us are asking you to do.”
The Southwest Airlines flight attendant and the couple continued to go back and forth, with the passenger arguing about why she should be allowed on the flight, despite the flight attendant repeatedly telling her she wasn't allowed on the plane while intoxicated.
Konczal ended up posting the entire argument between her and her husband and the flight attendant on her YouTube channel, and in the description of the video explained that all of the passengers had been told to deboard the plane and that it would be hours before they would be allowed back on.
To pass the time, Konczal, her husband, and other passengers decided to get drinks at the bar. "Then [the] flight attendant wouldn't allow me on the plane trying to say that I was 'wasted' - but didn't have a good explanation. Absolutely unacceptable," she wrote.
Airline crew members have the right to refuse passengers on the flight if they are not sober.
According to Federal Aviation guidelines, no airline may allow anyone to board a plane if the passenger appears to be intoxicated. That can include intoxication from drugs such as marijuana, even in cities or states where they’re legal or decriminalized.
“If you plan to consume alcohol before your flight, remember that the airline’s gate agent may not let you board the aircraft if you appear to have had too much,” the Federal Aviation Administration wrote in a post on Medium.
“So, if you have one too many in the airport and the flight crew won’t allow you to board, remember they are just obeying federal regulations and keeping the rest of the passengers safe.”
As a flight attendant's main job, they are required to keep the safety of the other passengers in mind. If a passenger appears to be heavily intoxicated, they may have impaired judgment, coordination, and reaction times.
In the event of an emergency, such as sudden turbulence or an evacuation, intoxicated passengers may struggle to follow instructions, compromising their safety and the safety of others.
Many people sided with the flight attendant's decision and pointed out that she was only trying to do her job.
"Bravo! She saved all the passengers the inconvenience of having to divert the plane to land and deboard an unruly passenger," one Reddit user wrote.
Another user added, "It’s the most valid reason to not allow a person on a plane. Guaranteed nightmare."
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.