JetBlue FA Quits 'Fight Club' Style

[Lowjack]

This is just breaking over some of the other aviation websites:

JetBlue Flight Attendant Quits Spectacularly After Fight with Passenger
August 9th, 2010 • By Matt Molnar

Flight attendant Steven Slater on Monday all but guaranteed that he’ll never have to deal with a disgruntled passenger again.

While JetBlue Flight 1052 was taxiing to the gate at New York-JFK after a flight, a passenger reportedly attempted to remove his bag from the overhead bin. A heated argument ensued when Slater told the passenger to wait until the plane had reached the terminal and stopped moving.

According to the Daily News, Slater then got on the PA to make a very special announcement:

“To the passenger who called me a m—f–er, f— you,” flight attendant Steven Slater ranted over the intercom, passengers said.

“I’ve been in the business 28 years. I’ve had it. That’s it.”

When the plane made it to the gate, Slater allegedly grabbed two beers from the galley, deployed one of the Embraer E190’s emergency escape slides, glided down to the tarmac and walked through Terminal 5 to the AirTrain, where he was seen throwing his jetBlue uniform tie to the ground. He rode the train to the long-term parking lot and drove home.

http://nycaviation.com/2010/08/09/jetbl ... passenger/

28 years in the business and I guess enough was enough for this guy. He's being criminally charged for what he did, but I bet there are a lot of people out there that can sympathize with him on some level at least.

[Hiflyer2]

If he is going to get a criminal record out of it he should have grabbed a third beer and smashed the teeth out the prick that called him the names. Then it would have been worth it! Hats off to the FA!!!!

[UKPilot]

I know the word hero gets thrown around a lot these days, but seriously, that guy is a hero. The hangover 2 should end with that scene.

[DeltaHotel]

This guy's got balls ! Hats off to this FA

[Hawkerflyer]

[MUSKEG]

Just curious as to what the criminal charge would be. In Kaka with the company for deploying an airslide yes, but what will they do, fire him. Could it be a reg somewhere states it's illegal to abandon pax's but then his job was done other than wishing them all a pleasant stay. Pax should be charged with endangering others around him.

[OceansEdge]

its all fun and games till the rent is due - hope he's got something lined up

[North Shore]

Just curious as to what the criminal charge would be. In Kaka with the company for deploying an airslide yes, but what will they do, fire him. Could it be a reg somewhere states it's illegal to abandon pax's but then his job was done other than wishing them all a pleasant stay. Pax should be charged with endangering others around him.

Criminal mischief and reckless endangerment, according to the article... Apparently, it can cost $10k to repack the slide and exit..

[shitdisturber]

I can't see the reckless endangerment charge sticking; after all, who did he endanger? The criminal mischief charge on the other hand will be tougher, although a temporary insanity plea might work.

[RatherBeFlying]

The passenger who refused his order should be charged for "refusal to comply with safety order from flight attendant"

The FA's lawyer can say he felt endangered by a belligerent passenger and vacated the scene.\

There's all sorts of workplace shenanigans, including at cop shops, that never end up as felony charges, but he may be invited to pay for repacking the slide.

[fish4life]

re-packing the slide and the money he cost jet blue for having the plane down for maintenance for an unscheduled reason

[Meatservo]

My hat's off to that guy. What a way to go, especially stopping to grab a couple of beers on the way out. I'm sorry, I really respect the way this guy chose to GTFO. What a crappy, thankless job that must be, and too bad he didn't physically assault the passenger before leaving. I know I should be shaking my head and "tsk, tsk"-ing, but really, I guess enough is enough. I probably would have tried to throw the passenger under the wheels of the still-moving plane if I got called a mofo by a rule-breaking douche who just can't keep his ass parked for that extra minute. Those lemmings who are the first out of their seats and stampede past everybody else in front of them on the way to the exit are the same bastards who trample people to death in totally survivable evacuation scenarios.

I love this stuff. Better than TV.

[hazatude]

Hero!

[Beechball]

Possibly it may have been George Costanza!

[timexd]

Maybe it's too early in the day and maybe I haven't had enough coffee yet. Hereo? Really? Hero's are people who in the face of personal peril risk there lives to save something or someone. By definition a hero is someone who thinks lastly of themselves. This guy thought only of himself and of no-one else. What about the passengers waiting to board that aircraft for the next flight?

So now we call people, who are in the midst of a pschotic breaks, hero's? The end is near.......

[whipline]

Fine, this guy in not a hero. He is a PIONEER!! I wonder how many other flight crew wish they could do that on a daily basis? BRAVO.

[SeptRepair]

The guy is nothing more than a drama queen. Sure we all fantasize about telling the boss to stick it or doing something that in your mind "gets even" with a person that has wronged you, but common sense and maturity out weigh that fleeting moment of childishness. Guy should be held accountable for his actions.

[Conquest Driver]

This guy is going to loose his job.

Just to be fair, why is it that the pasenger isn't going to get any criminal charges? Refusing a direction from a Flight Attendant (a legitimate one at that), endangering the Flight Attendant as a result (I've been whacked with a bag once, it hurts). Airlines have a real habbit of getting to you to your destination on time then stopping short of the gate. As a passnger I get annoyed when everyone goes bag rummaging, then the crew can't taxi the aircraft when they finally do get a marshapper or a gate.

[yycflyguy]

This guy is going to loose his job.

Just to be fair, why is it that the pasenger isn't going to get any criminal charges? Refusing a direction from a Flight Attendant (a legitimate one at that), endangering the Flight Attendant as a result (I've been whacked with a bag once, it hurts). Airlines have a real habbit of getting to you to your destination on time then stopping short of the gate. As a passnger I get annoyed when everyone goes bag rummaging, then the crew can't taxi the aircraft when they finally do get a marshapper or a gate.

Yup, when you quit you generally loose your job.

[hazatude]

Still going with hero on this one...especially after the lol myspace pic!

[grimey]

Still going with hero on this one...especially after the lol myspace pic!

from facebook

[SeptRepair]

I recant. Yes definitely a HERO, Just cant quite make out the cape in the last pic!

[niss]

Just as good a way to quit, plus this chick is really hot.

http://thechive.com/2010/08/10/girl-qui ... 33-photos/

[Changes in Latitudes]

The story continues...

JetBlue flight attendant who went nuts was in bed with boyfriend when found by cops



The plane had just landed, but he was ready to take off.

A JetBlue flight attendant blew his top, grabbed some beer and bolted out an emergency slide at Kennedy Airport Monday - then headed home to have sex with his boyfriend.

After he was bonked in the head by a bag, Steven Slater stunned passengers by spewing profanity and ranting about quitting as the flight from Pittsburgh pulled up to the gate about noon.

"To the f-----g a--hole who told me to f--k off, it's been a good 28 years," Slater, 38, purred, cops said. "I've had it. That's it," he added, a passenger said.

The mad-as-hell steward grabbed a couple of brewskis and popped one open before activating the emergency exit, witnesses told airport employees.

After tossing his two carry-on bags on the slide, he followed them to the tarmac.

Slater - who actually first started working for airlines 20 years ago, not 28 - then walked to the AirTrain, stripped off his company tie and flung it off as bemused passengers watched.

"I wish we could all quit our jobs like that," said passenger Phil Catelinet, 36, of Brooklyn, who was on the flight and the AirTrain.

"He seemed kind of happy about it. He was like, 'I just quit my job.' "

Port Authority police said it took jetBlue 25 minutes to report the incident, allowing Slater time to leave the scene.

Cops found him in bed with his boyfriend when they arrived to arrest him at a beachfront home in the Rockaways with a porch overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, sources said.

He boasted to skeptical cops that he really did escape by chute with his carry-on luggage.

"Oh, yes, I did! I threw them down first and I went down after," he told cops, sources said.

He was grinning as police walked him in handcuffs to a squad car. "He left with a big smile on his face," said neighbor Curt Karkowski.

Slater was wearing a sheepish smile when Port Authority detectives walked him to a waiting van a few hours later. He was charged with reckless endangerment and criminal mischief.

JetBlue would not say how long Slater had worked for the airline, but he wrote on his MySpace page that he was "enjoying being back in the skies" after a five-year break.

"I love to max it out with trips around the world, sometimes on a moment's notice!" he gushed.

Neighbors described Slater as a nice guy, but said he was under some stress. "Steven's mother is dying," said Judy Rochelle, whose son Kenny lives with Slater. "She has lung cancer. She's had two chemos and the prognosis is not good. They were on their way out to California this weekend to settle her affairs."

[Hedley]

Is it news to some people that male FA's could be gay?