MD-80 Series (DC-9-80) Undifferentiated or Other Model
Physiological - Other; Fatigue; Confusion; Communication Breakdown; Situational Awareness; Workload
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Illness / Injury; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Passenger Misconduct; Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence
Flight Crew Diverted; Flight Crew Took Evasive Action; General Physical Injury / Incapacitation
Company Policy; Weather; Human Factors
Throughout this entire tarmac delay the Flight Attendant[s] (FA) were trying to ensure the passengers with safe and adequate services. Whenever any passenger requested any sort of assistance from medical to a snack we were providing it to them. Flight attendants were making attempt to inform our base supervisor and crew services of the situations taking place on the aircraft. XA:30Pilot informed Lead Flight Attendant (LFA) of diversion to a nearby airport. The landing was going to take place rather fast. At this time LFA informed the other flight attendants of the diversion. Pilot In Command (PIC) made the PA announcement that the flight will be landing in ZZZ due to unable to land at our filed destination due to weather. LFA followed up with a PA announcement indicating the diversion. Also; stated for flight attendants to begin preparing the cabin for arrival. XA:454 chimes - Flight attendants picked up remaining service items and LFA did final compliance walk for landing. XB:02 (Actual)LFA made the arrival announcement.XB:05Aircraft was parked on Tarmac. LFA began Tarmac record. LFA pulled up Tarmac Delay information in [the Ipad]. Passengers begin standing in the aisle stretching legs and standing in line for the 3 lavatories on board. XB:25 [A] Passenger's wife came forward to the galley and stated husband is feeling very nauseous. FA 3 provided his wife with ginger ale; water; trash bag and offered a snack. At this time she refused a snack for him. Then [FA 3] followed passengers to seat to assess.XB:32LFA advised PIC we were in need of our official block out time for delay record. Instead of the block out time PIC informed lead we do not have this time since we are sitting on an active Tarmac. Instead noted and gave the arrival time into the divert airport. XB:42 PIC made announcement we were expecting to depart ZZZ and head to ZZZ1 in about an 1 hour and fifteen minutes. This would give the crew an ETA into our original destination of XC:57. With this ETA given lead then discussed with Flight Deck (FD) the potential for a pour service to be needed. Flight attendants were advised against a pour and snack service to be conducted. XC:00Passengers came forward and stated she was a diabetic and insulin was under the plane. She said she was due for it in about an hour. If we could give her some M&M's and water she would be fine until the delay is completed. Even though this was a medical related issue we did not have to ask for a doctor. Flight deck was notified by LFA. From XB:02 till XC:00 all doors on the aircraft were armed during the tarmac delay! XC:06 The flight deck made an announcement that the aircraft would be taxing to a different fueling area. LFA made prior to aircraft movement announcement minus electronic devices to ensure compliance before saying it was safe to move aircraft. LFA walked the cabin to ensure compliance. FA 2 and 4 were seated in jump seat with aft barrier strap up. FA 2 stated aft cabin secure. A single chime [to] flight deck to signal cabin was ready for movement. Flight deck then called and asked if we were ready for movement. LFA stated to captain 'this is why I single chimed you'.XC:20 Aircraft arrived at fueling area. Captain asked if doors were armed if so they needed to be disarmed because we were about to fuel. LFA made the announcement FA prepare doors for arrival.XC:23 [FA 3] who injured himself earlier on the deicing fluid in the cabin while stowing his baggage before departure FA 2 saw him limping. FA 2 called forward to ask if there was [a] bandage in the First aid kit. LFA looked at the items in our First Aid kit and we did not have [a] bandage. FA 2 came forward to get ice for the customer. XC:27[Another] passenger who had Claustrophobia came forward to the bulk head just looking for space away from other passengers and crew members. Crew members remembered this passenger from the previous week flight. Atthis point we noticed [passenger] very hot; sweaty and in a panic. She was saying can I just get air! She then began vomiting in the trash bag in the galley. LFA made the announcement of do we have any doctors or nurses on board and if so can you ring your FA call button. At this time LFA also notified the flight deck of the situation and we were filling out a cabin report. While the nurse who was chosen by [flight crew] as our medical personnel from mid cabin to come forward. LFA stayed with the passenger ensuring her everything was going to be ok and we were working with the FD for passengers to get off the aircraft.XC:29 PIC headed to aft of the aircraft to do a walk around. PIC asked flight attendants 2 and 4 to hold and watch the tail cone door exit. At this time he went down the steps the FA had deemed to be 'hazardous'.XC:31First Officer (FO) called [FA] into the FD after the cabin report had been given to them. With the cabin report [medical services] was contacted. Once [medical services] was contacted FO gave [FA] his personal cell phone to have the conversation with [medical services]. [Medical services] advised the passenger to begin doing breathing exercises. [Medical services] wanted the use of [oxygen]. [A FA] got the [oxygen] uncovered the mask and the customer felt like it would make her become more claustrophobic. On the cabin report the only medication the passenger stated she had taken was Gravol. At the time I did not know what Gravol was. Passenger said it was motion sickness medicine. When I was writing this report I researched what this drug is. According to [website] Gravol is a new synthetic drug. It is highly addictive and makes users dangerously paranoid; to the point of suicide. It also causes paranoia; kidney failure; hallucination. During the conversation with [medical services] I initiated a crew to crew call with [medical services]. During this short called I asked her to come forward and help with the passenger. [Medical services] at this time stated that the only medicine in our Medical kit which could be administered to the passengers was Benadryl. Passengers refused the Benadryl as well and stated the Gravol should work. Passenger asked if she could sit in a seat in the bulkhead. One of the passengers in [bulkhead seat] heard this comment be made and was willing to move to [passengers] seat. [passenger] thanked the guy in [bulkhead] for doing this for us. [Passenger] calmed down once this decision was made. XC:40 FA 4 stated beverage and snack service as requested was needed for the cabin. Lead had lost track of time during the medicals and everything else; which was taking place in the cabin. Lead notified FD pour service was beginning. XC:41 FA immediately began pour service. We used the plastic bins inside the carts lined them up with cups and started pouring water into them. During this pour service we ran out of water on the carts and crew water. The only water we had left was the water bottles the crew had already drank out of. This service was completed by the 120 minute mark of the delay. XD:19Lead notified Captain we were right at the 3 hour mark of the delay. Passengers even after the service began getting upset. LFA notified flight deck the passengers were beginning to get upset. During the Tarmac delay instead of using the Interphone system to communicate with lead. The flight deck was just opening the door to have communication. LFA ask flight deck if we can go to normal procedures to open the door due how the passengers were being. At this time LFA notified captain that we are getting close to that 3 hour mark of the delay. Asked captain to make another announcement. XD:21Captain advised lead we were about to taxi to gate. FA prepare doors for departure announcement was made. Aircraft was prepared for taxi to the gate. FA did compliance check.XD:27 Announcement was made to prepare doors for arrival. Captain notified FA that the aft stairs would be used for deplaning. FA 2 notified lead the aft stairs were not safe to deplane off of due to the slick liquid (De icing liquid) on the stairs. LFA notified Crew services we did not feel it was safe. They advised us that passengers should take all belongings because there was a chance the plane was going to get Remain Overnight (RON) for the night in the divert airport.XE:30 Captain advised to deplane from the aft stairs even though FA advised against it. As soon as this announcement was made passengers began deplaning prior to LFA finishing her conversation with her supervisor. Once off the phone LFA advised passengers to take all carry on luggage with them down the back stairs of the aircraft and use caution exiting. During the deplaning process [ill passenger's] bag was taken in. LFA asked FD if she could exit aircraft to retrieve her bag. They told LFA to have her contact our supervisor. During the time frame of XE:50 and XG:45[Ill passengers] exited the aircraft not long after the passengers did to deplane. When [medical services] got back onto the plane they stated the passengers are in the terminal area and no one is giving them any updates. They just wanted the pilots or some airline employee to give some updates! XG:45 Began boarding again up the tail cone stairs; which was contaminated with both snow and the deicing fluid. FD asked LFA if we were ok with doing this. After discussion with the crew we decided since they already deplaned off these stairs. It's not safe but [might] as well board and get to our filed destination! Now while boarding the water from snow melting in combination with the deicing fluid made more of the aisle way slick. Just like it was in the departure airport. The flight attendants tried to [mitigate] any risk while boarding and LFA made boarding announcements like normal. While boarding a gentleman near the front of the aircraft stated his name was not on the manifest the gate agent was using. LFA notified flight deck. LFA told the flight deck this could be seen as a security issue. PIC stated a gate agent must tell the flight deck no security issues prior to pushing back. After it appeared boarding was complete FA 2 completed a count when I read the verification announcement. FA's noted we were missing 8 people. This was verified by the gate agent giving FA 2 the names of the individuals to read on the PA. The FA 2 told passengers to ring their FA call buttons if they were on board. FA 4 and 3 re briefed exit rows. PIC handed the paper work through the window of the aircraft to a gate agent. LFA stated 'Cabin Secure!; Clear to Close?' I single chimed FD indicating we were ready for push back. FA 3 asked lead if she was ok with doing the safety demo and she would read the safety demo. I said yes and I did the safety demo in the cabin. After the safety demo I walked down the aisle to ensure compliance again. Once I got back informed passengers we would be dimming the cabin lights for departure and read the deicing announcement. XH:15Finally; we landed in our originally filed destination. Arrival announcement was made and we apologized for the delay. Also; stated use caution when exiting the aircraft and getting carry on luggage out of the over head bins. LFA made the FA prepare doors for arrival announcement was made. LFA did her cabin sweep of any left items and cross checked all doors were not armed.XH:58 Crew called crew services to find out information about ride to hotel; what hotel we are staying in and what our show time is for the next day. Finally got the [hotel] our crew was dead tired. We all just wanted to check in and put our heads on a pillow. The day had used every ounce of energy we had. Once I walked up stairs to my room the hall way smelled as if smoking had been taking place. It didn't smell like cigarettes to me. Being in aviation I wasn't ok with the smell I was smelling just in case I was to get drug tested. I exited the room o
A MD-80 Flight Attendant described crew and passenger behavior following a weather related diversion. After a three hour ground delay with passenger illnesses and unrest the flight taxied to the gate. Later; the flight re-boarded for its original destination.