I'm sure many of you have already heard about the story of the wayward JetBlue flight attendant who lost his cool when dealing with an unruly passenger, then promptly deplaned using the emergency slide. Although Steven Slater undoubtedly will lose his job for the fiasco, it appears most Americans are on his side. Many have the same opinion on his actions: "Good for him."Flight attendants have to deal with all kinds of crap from ungrateful passengers every flight. It seems only natural that one of them would finally lose his/her cool in these unsavory situations. But not only did Slater exit the plane in an unusual way, he also grabbed a beer as he hit the slip-n-slide. I couldn't help but chuckle after reading the details of the blowup. According to The New York Times...
"On Monday, authorities said, a JetBlue attendant named Steven Slater snapped on the Kennedy International Airport tarmac. After a dispute with a passenger who stood to fetch his luggage too soon on a full flight just in from Pittsburgh, Mr. Slater, a career flight attendant, had had enough.
"He got on the intercom, let loose a string of invectives, pulled the lever that activates the emergency-evacuation chute and slid down -- making a dramatic exit not only from the plane but, one imagines, also his airline career. On his way out the door, he paused to grab a beer from the beverage cart. Then he ran to the employee parking lot and drove off, authorities said."
Does it get any better than that? The rest of the story can be found by clicking on this link.
There had to be other issues going on in this guy's head to have prompted the escapade. It would have scared the hell out of me had I been on that plane at the time. That airline needs to pay closer attention to the mental health of its employees.
ReplyDeleteAs someone who has worked in the service sector, I can sympathize with this guy. There is no shortage of rude assholes that have to be dealt with, and sometimes people reach their breaking point. I would have been laughing my ass off when the guy had his meltdown. One passenger, in fact, said it was the most interesting thing that happened to him all day.
ReplyDeleteTo be fair, Brant, if that WASN'T the most interesting thing to happen to you in any given day, you need to go audition for a Dos Equis commercial.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I think the passenger should be charged with simple assault. She hit him in the head with her bag (the gash on his forehead could be seen during the perp walk) and then had the audacity to start cursing at him. I think you could prove that she intended to physically harm him.
ReplyDeleteThere's no doubt that this guy's airline career is over, but he should not be subjected to any more punishment than a summary offense with a fine.
And you're right about it being the most interesting part of the day. I could only imagine seeing that in person.
I heard an account on DVE this morning that suggests that the welt on his head was as a result of an earlier incident and wasn't caused by the baggage... and was cited by Slater well before the infamous escape-hatch trick as a reason he was having a bad day.
ReplyDeleteThat's probably right. However, I think it's time the news lets this story fade away. It was interesting for the first two days, but now it being pumped for every ounce.
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