Interview question

[generaltso]

A passenger says he smells alcohol on your breath. You haven't been drinking.

What do you do? WHAT DO YOU DO?

 

[328dude]

Talk to your crew and tell them what he/she said. Ask their advice and if they have any dought to his claim. If they don't, then speak to a CSR supervisor and relay the passengers concerns to them so they can handle it. If your crew or the supervisor has suspisions, don't fly the plane. It's better to be tested and turn up nothing.

Don't argue with the passenger.

 

[N8Dogg]

Request to be tested immediately! End of story. The last thing the airline wants is some passenger blabbing his mouth about one of the pilots being intoxicated.

 

[generaltso]

How are you suppose to get tested in an airport without delaying the flight? They have breathalizers?

 

[Hugh Jorgan]

A passenger says he smells alcohol on your breath. You haven't been drinking.

What do you do? WHAT DO YOU DO?

Kick him in the jimmy.

 

[vclean]

You must get tested for alcohol, flight delay or not. After you are cleared, have the TSA list the person on the 'Do not fly list' and give them the number to Greyhound and Amtrak.

 

[platinumclub]

Funny story, I actually read a report when I was interning with an airline about a loud mouth that looked into the cockpit as he got on board and yells "I sure hope you guys haven't been drinking". All the precautions as mentioned above were taken, but the flight still did not go. All the passengers were comped new airline tickets, except for the jackas$ that said it, he got a $300 ticket from the cops and was told to go screw himself by the airline!

 

[rumpletumbler]

Kick him in the jimmy.

lol......

 

[TIS]

The answer to this is simple and to the point - GO GET TESTED! The flight will be delayed or canceled and your day just got kicked to the curb.

An accusation of intoxication in this case is a CRIMINAL one. You have been accused of a federal crime by a passenger. That's right! It's a federal crime because it's against FARs! You must take steps to disprove the accusation immediately.

Proving or disproving alcohol intoxication is a clinically medical matter that you cannot undertake by yourself. Someone else is needed to perform objective testing both because you lack the equipment and training, and because a third, impartial party is needed to attest to the result of the testing.

The bottom line is that you will look the passenger in the eye and tell him that he has just delayed and possibly canceled the flight. Contact Customer Service and let them know about the accustation and that the the flightdeck crew will be getting tested at the nearest clinic. They'll handle the rest. I might even consider putting a call into the chief pilot to let him in on the mess.

There is no other acceptable answer to this problem.

TIS

 

[jobear]

I might even consider putting a call into the chief pilot to let him in on the mess.
TIS

I agree with everything TIS said except the above sentence. Not "consider" it's a MUST call item. Remember just as we consider every potential threat seroiusly we must do the same for every accusation of crew inpropreity(SIC). Call the Chief Pilot and your Union Rep. immediately.

Jobear

 

[English]

TIS and jobear are right on the money.

 

[flying4food]

Having a background in law enforcement, TIS is right on the money!! my first step would be to notify the gate agent and dispatch. Next have Airport police contact you at the gate ASAP and explain the accusation to them (not TSA or the dime store security dude). The LEO is trained and qualified to administer a BAT. Ask the LEO to conduct an investigation and make a report on the matter. As stated above, the passenger has accused you of commiting a felony!!! Say you blew it off and flew anyway, the burdon may shift back to you!! Blood alcohol is considered fleeing evidence, and a blood alcohol test(BAT) should be performed in a timely manner!!

These are the steps I would take if I were accused of such a serious offense!!
Just my two cents worth!!!

 

[TIS]

I guess I should elaborate

I agree with everything TIS said except the above sentence. Not "consider" it's a MUST call item. Remember just as we consider every potential threat seroiusly we must do the same for every accusation of crew inpropreity(SIC). Call the Chief Pilot and your Union Rep. immediately.

Jobear

Yeah, I agree with you on a personal level. You'll need to talk to someone. The reason I used the term "consider" is because some companies want you to call a regional chief pilot or the director of operations as a matter of policy rather than the system chief pilot.

So let me say it this way: Plan on getting stright on the phone with the individual in operations managment that your company designates as the fielder for situations like this - whoever that may be.

TIS

 

[DoinTime]

All good action items should you ever be accused of this while on the job, however, being on the job and being in an interview telling them how you would deal with it are different things. This is a good opportunity to show the company that you can deal with interpersonal problems in a calm, professional, and complete manor.

Imediately calling the airport police in an issue like this will almost for sure cause the cancellation of the flight (at least history has shown this to be the case). Instead try talking in private to the accuser to see if there is any way to assure them that you haven't been drinking. Offer them another whiff of your breath, or whatever else it may take for them to feel comfortable with you being at the controls. If they still are not satisfied of your sobriety after all reasonable measures have been exhausted then inlist the help the airport police for a breathalyzer.

Explaining these steps will show your prospective employer that you employ rational into your decisions and pursue the least obtrusive answer to sensitive problems. This approach to problem solving is not the most appropriate for all of aviation's problems though so be careful when you use it.

Like the others were saying though, once your on the line and become as disgruntled as us by all means call the airport police first and kick that jacka$$ off your airplane!

 

[flying4food]

Instead try talking in private to the accuser to see if there is any way to assure them that you haven't been drinking. Offer them another whiff of your breath, or whatever else it may take for them to feel comfortable with you being at the controls.

I would have to disagree with you on that one!! If this person has already made the above accusation, what else will they do or say?? Would not attempt to engage them in a private conversation, you want as many witnesses as possible, especially those that know you, who will be able to say, "he was acting normal as always." Also there would be witnesses to both your actions as well as any conversations that may take place!! Next this accuser will be saying you pulled them aside to convince him/her not to say anything!! Then it's your word against theirs!!! Given this situation, If it where my future on the line, I would definately want someone with some knowledge of this subject to look into it.

Again, my two cents worth!!!

 

[DoinTime]

I would have to disagree with you on that one!! If this person has already made the above accusation, what else will they do or say?? Would not attempt to engage them in a private conversation, you want as many witnesses as possible, especially those that know you, who will be able to say, "he was acting normal as always." Also there would be witnesses to both your actions as well as any conversations that may take place!! Next this accuser will be saying you pulled them aside to convince him/her not to say anything!! Then it's your word against theirs!!! Given this situation, If it where my future on the line, I would definately want someone with some knowledge of this subject to look into it.

Again, my two cents worth!!!

Sorry.....I meant private to mean out of the view or hearing range of the other passengers. Debating a passenger on whether or not your drunk or not is not to be done in front of the other passengers. Otherwise you won't have anyone willing to get on your plane. Bring them down to the plane with your crew and/or a gate agent to talk things through.

Once again the above display of paranoia is also not a good thing to show a company official during an interview.

 

[Blueridge]

I think my first response to the question would be that I would follow the guidance of my airline's operations manual. At ACA/FlyI we have a card that is kept in the cockpit that is given to the accuser in such an event. It basically spells out to them how serious of an accusation this is and gives the person an opportunity to retract their statements. If they do, great, we go fly, if they don't want to the whole crew gets tested - end of story.

BR

 

[a-v-8er]

I think my first response to the question would be that I would follow the guidance of my airline's operations manual. At ACA/FlyI we have a card that is kept in the cockpit that is given to the accuser in such an event. It basically spells out to them how serious of an accusation this is and gives the person an opportunity to retract their statements. If they do, great, we go fly, if they don't want to the whole crew gets tested - end of story.

BR

I was just about to say the same thing, however, our airline doesn't have those nifty cards onboard. I'd make sure the person who's accusing you understands what he/she is in fact implying. If they are indeed convinced (and not joking) that you or anyone else part of the crew is intoxicated, the whole flight crew would go and get tested. If this was a joke, I'd think this person would reconsider his/her accusations once they know the seriousness and testing required. If the person is being sincere and actually think you or another crew member has been drinking - no questions asked, you all go and get tested! This will disrupt the schedule for many people, but as mentioned before there are higher priorities than the schedule at hand at that point!

 

[phishn@daves]

What if you drank the night before, but had ensured you had enough gum in your mouth to hide it?

Do you chew more gum?

 

[100LL... Again!]

Interview answer:

1) Follow company procedure, if specified

Otherwise-

2) Call your chief pilot.