Date: 201703
Location: ZZZ.Airport, US
Aircraft: Commercial Fixed Wing
Operator: Air Carrier
Operating under: Part 121
Mission: Passenger
Reporter organization: Air Carrier
Reporter function: Flight Attendant (On Duty)
Reporter qualification: Flight Attendant Current
Human factors: Workload; Situational Awareness; Distraction
Anomaly: Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Passenger Misconduct
Detector: Person Flight Attendant
When detected: Pre-flight; In-flight
Result: General None Reported / Taken
Contributing factors: Procedure; Human Factors
Primary problem: Human Factors

Narrative: I was flying the purser position during this incident. After completing the safety demo and taxiing to the runway; it was brought to my attention by my fellow FA that there were three women in the back of the aircraft who were loudly conversing about consuming edibles (marijuana). They then proceeded to pass around a bag of such edibles and offer them to the passengers around them; meanwhile loudly conversing about how 'messed up' they're going to get. According to both my other flight attendants; they were eagerly asking for alcohol on the ground and were angry when we had to decline. We could all smell alcohol on them already; and were uncomfortable with their eagerness to get a drink immediately; in addition to whatever drugs they were passing around. All 3 of us received an attitude when asking them to comply to simple safety rules such as fastening seat belts; being seated during taxi; and being in airplane mode (one was FaceTiming during taxi). At this point I informed the Captain; and he made the decision to go back to the gate where cops removed the women from the flight. FA had to specifically point out the passengers to the police; and the gate agent in ZZZ informed me that the passengers removed were angry with us and asked for our names. We then had to refuel and eventually closed back up and departed. Once in flight; I had the passenger in 2E approach me in the galley informing me he was a Federal Air Marshal; (of which I was not informed) and that he even noticed visible signs of intoxication as one woman even engaged him by the gate prior to the flight. Other passengers commented on signs of intoxication and the scent of marijuana as well. When we landed we were notified that our schedules had been reassigned to work a flight. After a long sit; we boarded our second flight with no pilots as they were arriving late. As I was distributing pre-departure beverages; I saw one of the previous females we had removed from our original flight board the plane. Perplexed as to how they managed to be cleared in ZZZ; I was instantly alarmed and informed my other flight attendants to get confirmation. Eventually our pilots arrived and we informed the Captain of our situation. All three of us felt extremely uncomfortable transporting these women who we had removed from a previous flight hours earlier. The women did not engage us or were necessarily acting belligerent; however they still smelled like alcohol. The gate agent in ZZZ also commented that he smelled alcohol on them however did not personally find them unfit to fly. The Captain told us that he would bring the women aside and talk to them need be. We felt uncomfortable and unsafe to fly with these passengers who clearly exhibited signs of intoxication to us in ZZZ; and who still currently smelled of alcohol. We were also uncomfortable with the fact that we were the crew that had already removed them from a previous flight; and were unsure of their demeanor towards us. The Captain responded by telling us these women were cleared by police at our departure airport to fly; so if we were uncomfortable working the flight he supported us if we did not want to continue. He then contacted a CSR supervisor in our next destination to come talk to us as well as Inflight supervisor. We stated our severe discomfort in traveling with these passengers who were visibly and audibly under the influence hours prior. We were told that we could of course decline the flight; but that there was no promise that there would not be disciplinary action if we chose that route. Feeling pressured to make an immediate decision with the potential of disciplinary action; we reluctantly agreed to work the flight despite the feeling that our safety could be compromised by transporting these intoxicated passengers we had previously made a judgment call on hours prior. I felt that an unnecessary safety risk was created by having the same crew transport the same women we deemed unfit to fly within the same day. Fortunately there was no confrontation during the quick flight and we did not have to engage in any confrontation with the women. However; it is unsettling that the discretion of an entire Flight Crew was so quickly dismissed; allowing these passengers to be instantly rebooked and present on a flight within hours; with the same crew.




Synopsis: A Flight Attendant reported several boisterous; non conforming passengers boarded their flight and were determined to be under the influence of marijuana but were removed after a gate return. After a layover between flights; the same passengers were boarded on a connecting flight at a different airport.