I really think they should have the book thrown at them. They should be charged and the airline should ban them.

Here is a link that might be useful: Unruly flight passenger

I've heard of too many times when something simple gets blown out of proportion by the airlines. A friend was threatened with felonies because he made some comments that he wasn't happy about the long delay and that type of thing isn't uncommon.

That said, and IF someone is really making trouble, I say use a stun gun on them. That'll settle them down quickly.But it really depends on the situation as to what action or consequence I would think is appropriate.

I imagine now the feds aren't going to take many chances and will scramble some fighters if there's someone sneezes on a plane.

They can start by NOT serving alcohol inflight.

I don't really understand why they serve booze on airplanes. Why can't the passenger wait until they get off to hit the lounge.

befuddles me on VERY EARLY flights, that passengers consume alcohol so early!

Once again, am absurd and costly over-reaction.
The US now seems gripped in some kind of mass insanity in regards to airline flights. Every little thing--a drunk passenger, someone feeling sick in a restroom, someone nauseated, someone talks loud--is seen as potential terror.
We are collectively insane. We have lost all common sense.

The above was posted by someone under comments I read elsewhere. I concur.

I watched the interviews on TV and I never saw such a timid frightened populace. A plane full of people intimidated into frozen fear by an obnoxious drunk.

Regarding security? Just why was he allowed to board in the first place? Who was serving him the drinks?

It's time to hold the airlines accountable also. If security and flight crew personnel cannot monitor and handle these types of passengers then perhaps they need to train better people to do the job.

Every time this type of over-reaction occurs our tax dollars pay for it.

I also heard a passenger state the having the F 16 escort made her "feel safe" What did this dimwit think those fighter planes were there for?

Now the terrorists don't even have carry explosives. All they have to do is lock themselves in the loo or act crazy and pass a few scary notes and our own fighter jets will come along to blow up our passenger airliners.

This would seem rather small potatoes to some resident of Baghdad, Kandahar, the Central African Republic or 6-years drought-ridden Darfur, I imagine.

We've been living pretty well insulated from the troubles that have beset many parts of the world for a long time ...

... and a taste of it was bound to arrive close to our homes, sooner or later.

Much/(most?) of the rest of the world must observe our strident reaction to it with a rather bemused expression, I think.

It seems to me that our current competition is not like a nation-to-nation one, as we dealt with in the Cold War time, as they are not gathered together in an identificable nation or other geographic or political entity.

More like the struggle against the Mafia ... or what was/is characterized as the "war" on drugs ...

... and our success at prosecuting those long-term struggles has been much less than stellar.

The possibility of any one, or a small number, of us being killed or maimed in a car crash ... or industrial (or mine?) accident ... is far higher than of being hurt by the actions of a terrorist ...

... but that is part of the daily furniture of living, and doesn't make the (strictly local, unless it's a sports or entertainment celebrity) news for more than half a day.

Isn't it time that we simmer down quite a bit, keep things in perspective?

Sure is a bonanza for people in the security industry, though.

ole joyful

Time for a brig on every carrier. Cruise ships have 'em.

There are a lot of people around who were never socialized as children, and fares are cheap.

One way to quiet a drunk is to keep the liquor flowing until the unruly passenger is stuporous.

Why have F-16s follow a commercial airliner whose problem was that the staff and passengers were being bothered by a drunk??

Surely they weren't considering possibly shooting it down!!??

ole joyful

Surely they weren't considering possibly shooting it down!!??

What else would they be there for? If the plane was overtaken by this drunk in the bathroom the airliner would most certainly have been blown up rather than chance it crashing a la 9/11. The news reports would probably be something along the lines of mysterious mid-air explosion.

I just find it sad that we have come to a time when an unruly drunk can put so much fear into the hearts of people. Seems like it would have been a good time for "when in doubt knock him out". I cannot believe that someone couldn't just open the door and handle it. The only way he could have held that flimsy door shut was to hang on to the latch. Everything on a plane is relatively light and flimsy for weight considerations. Not like it was a door to a safe.

We just had a "situation" on my flight inbound from Brussels. I really don't want to tell any details because I am not at liberty to discuss security issues. We dealt with the situation and had a safe outcome. My point being that every crew handles these situations differently. You have to consider all aspects before taking action. Of course safety always comes first. You have to try and determine the perceived level of threat and weight that against the consequences of your actions. Some crews take things to the extreme, I try very hard to weigh the level of threat that I feel against the outcome of my actions. It can be a delicate balancing act. I had a level headed captain and we used our best judgement pertaining to our situation.
Donna

I agree 100% that liquor should not be served onboard an airplane. It's a cash cow for the airlines. The flight crews are the ones that are put in the position of telling a first class passenger that "I don't feel comfortable serving you anymore liquor". That is a very uncomfortable situation to handle. I have it almost every flight. The FAA rule is we cannot serve a passenger who "appears to be intoxicated". Most men can drink in excess and you would never know they had even one drink.
Donna

I'm glad to know that there are still some level heads that prevail Donna. I agree with you 100% on the alcohol. No reason one needs to drink on a plane. The time a person appears to be intoxicated is usually several drinks past the time they really should be cut off. They don't appear to be anything until they lurch out of their seat and start acting out.

If you act up a plane, you get arrested and your name goes on the "Do Not Fly" List. We all know THAT works...