A B757-200 FO RPTED THAT AN OBSTINATE FLT ATTENDANT ARGUED WHEN ASKED TO PROTECT THE COCKPIT DURING LAVATORY BREAKS ON A FLT FROM CCS TO MIA.

Date: 2004-06 · Aircraft: B757-200 · Phase: taxi

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy

Synopsis

A B757-200 FO RPTED THAT AN OBSTINATE FLT ATTENDANT ARGUED WHEN ASKED TO PROTECT THE COCKPIT DURING LAVATORY BREAKS ON A FLT FROM CCS TO MIA.

Narrative

ON MY FLT FROM CCS YESTERDAY I HAD SOMETHING NEW HAPPEN TO ME. ABOUT 20 MINS AFTER LEVELOFF I NEEDED TO GO TO THE BATHROOM. I CALLED BACK TO THE #1 FLT ATTENDANT TO ASK HER IF SHE WOULD MIND COMING UP FOR A SECOND SO I COULD STEP BACK. SHE SAID: 'NOW; ARE YOU SURE? YOU CAN'T WAIT?' I ANSWERED NO; I COULD NOT. SHE SAID; 'LET ME CALL YOU BACK.' A FEW MINS LATER SHE KNOCKED ON THE DOOR AND I LET HER IN. SHE SAID AS I STEPPED OUT: 'DON'T BE LONG.' I SAID SIMPLY; 'I WON'T BE.' FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 9/11 I WAS SURPRISED BY THIS ATTITUDE. EVERY OTHER FLT ATTENDANT HAS BEEN MORE THAN ACCOMMODATING OF OUR PHYSIOLOGICAL NEEDS. I SHOULD ADD THAT I'M ACUTELY AWARE OF THEIR DUTIES AND TRY MY VERY BEST TO NOT DISTURB THEM AT BUSY TIMES. SOMETIMES; HOWEVER; ONE'S BODY SIMPLY DOESN'T COOPERATE. I WAS GONE ABOUT 45 SECONDS AND GLANCED BACK AT BUSINESS CLASS WHICH WAS 2/3 EMPTY. ABOUT 30 MINS PRIOR TO DSCNT; I NEEDED TO GO TO THE BATHROOM AGAIN. THIS TIME I DECIDED TO 'HOLD IT' AFTER WHAT I VIEWED AS AN UNPROFESSIONAL AND UNPLEASANT EXCHANGE WITH FLT ATTENDANT. REGRETTABLY; AFTER LNDG WE HAD TO HOLD FOR OUR GATE IN 10 MIN INCREMENTS. AFTER 50 MINS I WAS IN DIRE NEED TO GO; SO I CALLED BACK TO ASK IF SHE WOULD MIND COMING UP. SHE SAID; 'REALLY? I HAVE TO GO AND I'M HOLDING. I HAVE 2 DOORS TO MONITOR UP HERE AND CANNOT COME UP.' I SAID; 'ARE YOU SERIOUS?' AT THAT MOMENT RAMP CALLED AND WE WERE CLRED TO THE GATE. I SAID TO FLT ATTENDANT; 'NEVER MIND.' AFTER WE PARKED I RACED INTO THE LAVATORY AND AS I EXITED SHE PROCEEDED TO 'EDUCATE' ME IN FRONT OF THE PAX ON HOW SHE WAS NEEDED TO MONITOR THE DOORS AND I OUGHT TO DO LIKE EVERYONE ELSE AND WAIT. I TRIED TO GET A WORD IN EDGEWISE BUT IT WAS NO USE. I HAVE 2 ITEMS: THE FIRST IS CLRLY THAT SOMEONE NEEDS TO HAVE A LITTLE CHAT WITH THIS FLT ATTENDANT AND EXPLAIN TO HER HOW THE WORLD WORKS. IF A PLT IS DISTR BY HAVING TO GO TO THE BATHROOM AND NOT ABLE TO CONCENTRATE ON HIS DUTIES THEN IT'S JUST PLAIN UNSAFE. THE SECOND IS HER CONTENTION THAT; ON THE GND; SHE COULD NOT IN FACT COME UP AS SHE HAD TO MONITOR THE FRONT DOORS. I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT ONE OF THE OTHER 3 FLT ATTENDANTS COULD HAVE SPOTTED HER; BUT IT BRINGS UP AN INTERESTING POINT. WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS ON THE GND FOR A FLT ATTENDANT TO MONITOR A DOOR AND WHAT IS THE LEGAL ANSWER FOR A SIT LIKE THIS WHICH; UP UNTIL NOW; I HAD NOT ENCOUNTERED?

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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.