Tuesday, January 20, 2009

The Hazards Of Public Intoxication At D/FW Airport

That is the morning view of part of the enormous Dallas/Fort Worth Airport. Or, as Fort Worth would prefer it to be called, Fort Worth/Dallas Airport.

I was there this morning, real early. To deliver a person flying out of the country.

On the way to the airport the person flying was consuming a liquid beverage. I thought it was some liquid breakfast of some sort.

But, by the time we got to the terminal I began to think that the liquid breakfast had a high alcohol content. It was so early in the morning I thought there was no way the person flying would be drinking a liquid breakfast with a high alcohol content.

I got the person flying through the terminal door and I was on my way home.

About 5 minutes after getting back here, that'd be about 15 minutes since I left the airport, I got a call. The person flying had been stopped from getting on a plane, charged with public intoxication and brought to the airport jail to sober up. I really was not able to understand much of what the person flying was saying.

So, I called back. A man answered. It was the jailer. The phone had been taken away from the person flying. He told me the person flying was going to be held until sober and a fine was paid.

Hours later, the jailer must have returned the phone to the person flying, because I got a garbled, bad connection call, asking me to call the person flying's mother to tell the mother the person flying was sick.

I reminded the person flying that I do not speak Spanish and even if I did, telling the mother that the person flying was sick would likely worry the mother more than the person flying not showing up at the appointed time.

About an hour back I got another call. Another bad connection.

An hour or so later, another call, this time I could make out that the fine had been paid. $210. And that the person flying would be released in an hour or so.

I then called the jail for directions. The jail is not at the airport.

I guess I'll head that way, but I'm in no big hurry to rescue the person who was formerly flying.

So, that's been my day. Up at 3am, dealing with public intoxication. And now another trip to the airport zone.

I need to find a better class of persons flying to deliver to the airport. I delivered Gar the Texan to the airport once. I don't think he was drunk.

6 comments:

Gar said...

I can't believe this country. They allow fat people on airplanes, but not drunk people? Was she more obviously drunk than they were obviously fat? Where is the justice?

Anonymous said...

I hope Miss Puerto Rico does not read your blog, but then again maybe she should. Maybe she felt she needed some liquid courage to face some Puerto Rican shadows. I too overmedicated often to hide from lurking shadow. Thankfully now a bright shining light has blotted out those lurking shadows.

Bryce said...

last comment by me.

Gar said...

Read this in the news today about being intoxicated at the airport.

My favorite part:
"Last month, officers even arrested a female passenger who was allegedly taking off her clothes at one of the airport gates."

Made me wonder.

Durango said...

Gar. Yes. That would be the one.

Anonymous said...

Hey. Excuse me for posting on an old thread, but I googled Public Intox on Airplane and your blog came up. In 2008, I was flying from Chattanooga to Amarillo with a layover at DFW. The layover was an hour and then delayed for another two. I had two scotch doubles during this time. I had no alcohol before this and none after. I got on the plane and fell asleep. When I woke, I man with a wheelchair was waiting to haul me into the AMA airport cop shop. I was a 29 year old girl. No idea what was going on, but I was arrested, booked and charged for public intox on an airplane. Now I don't drink at all. Costs: around $5000.