JetBlue attendant slides down emergency chute after fight with passenger

[mike r]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_upshot/20100809/od_yblog_upshot/jetblue-attendent-slides-down-emergency-chute-after-fight-with-passenger

JetBlue attendant slides down emergency chute after fight with passenger
By Holly Bailey

Police arrested a JetBlue flight attendant today at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport after he got into a verbal altercation with a passenger and then fled the scene by sliding down the plane's emergency evacuation chute.

It all happened as the plane pulled into the gate at JFK after what had been a routine flight from Pittsburgh. But shortly after landing, a passenger stood up as the plane was taxiing to the gate and began removing his bags from the overhead bin. According to the Wall Street Journal's Sean Gardiner, the flight attendant, identified as Steven Slater, asked the passenger to return to his seat.

A "heated" exchange ensued, which culminated in Slater walking to the rear of the plane, where he grabbed the intercom. "To the passenger who called me a motherf***er, f*** you!" Slater yelled, passengers tell the New York Daily News. "I've been in the business 28 years. I've had it. That's it." He activated the emergency chute and slid away.

Slater then walked along the jetway into the terminal, where he took a shuttle to the employee parking lot. Observers watched as he ripped off his JetBlue tie and threw it to the ground. Slater got into his vehicle and drove to his home in Queens. According to the New York Times' Ray Rivera, he was arrested shortly afterward and faces charges of criminal mischief and trespassing.

A source tells WNBC that Slater was "having a bad day."

[The_Casual_Observer]

1. I don't think I could handle the public for anything like 28 years.

[Scurrilous]

2. All crappy jobs should have an emergency chute. n/t

[customerserviceguy]

7. Now that's funny!

I don't care who you are! (apologies to Larry the Cable Guy for stealing that line)

[Freetradesucks]

3. I love it!

"When his tirade was through, he then took some beers from the galley and pulled the emergency chute and slid off the Embraer 190 plane. According to police sources, he threw his luggage down first and said something to the effect of "there goes 28 years," before he took the plunge."


You know what? Sometimes when you have had enough, you just have to say "fuck it". I admire this guy's guts.

[Hello_Kitty]

4. Same here. Welcome to DU and I love your screen name. eom

[PanoramaIsland]

5. Damn right. Sometimes, you've just had ENOUGH.

[d_r]

6. bad day

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-p2qyXafgM&feature=av2n

[Dappleganger]

18. +10 for theatricality! nt

[Confusious]

27. From what the article said, that's what he what home and did. nt

[onethatcares]

8. 28 years down the chute

jetblues' execs are wringing their hands in happiness.

[Name removed]

9. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Crabby Appleton]

10. Gotta give him a perfect 10 for style. nt

[Liberal_in_LA]

11. wow. Told the passenger off on the intercom! That's an awesome meltdown!

[lumberjack_jeff]

12. Better to throw the asshole passenger down the emergency chute. n/t

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

13. I can just picture the passenger involved

The human garbage you encounter flying in our out of New York is incredible,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heBDtcHU2Ho

[MountainLaurel]

16. That was a flight attendant friend's reaction

Noting that exactly that sort of passenger is one of the main reasons he hates flying into NYC/Newark.

[tblue37]

20. I am hearing impaired, so I couldn't understand what the passengers in

the video were saying. What was the woman complaining about?

[Warren DeMontague]

22. it was basically, "fuck you, asshole!" "no, you're an asshole!" and it got dumber from there.

Apparently the kerfluffle started when Man B wouldn't move his foot for man A, then Man A put his foot up against man B's foot, then Man A freaked all the fuck out, then Man A's wife (the woman) got into the action, trying in vain to calm the scene down, as did the airport employee.

Basically, what you have here is a passive aggressive shithead and a rage-drunk crazy shithead, causing a giant fucking problem over absolutely nothing.

[ima_sinnic]

25. She was embarrassed about the scene,

pleading with the guy (presumably her husband) to let it go and to keep his voice down.

[Warren DeMontague]

21. I avoid the entire East Coast like the plague. No offense to anyone who likes it.

It's the attitude. Can't stand it.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

26. I figured that out a very long time ago

I literally reached the point I decided I would rather be severely underemployed in California than work on the east coast. There are assholes everywhere - but the theatrical hostility and pretensions with which people interact with their world is unlike anything I have seen anywhere in the world.

[asdjrocky]

14. Way to flame out Dude. You gotta hand it to him. nt

[Hawkeye-X]

15. I have just booked Jetblue tickets last week

it's our usual trip to New York, and the wife likes the seats (and the redeye flight).

I need to call them and make sure Slater isn't our flight attendant.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

23. "I need to call them and make sure Slater isn't our flight attendant."

I really doubt that's anything you need to worry about.

[Canuckistanian]

17. That's the way I envision my last day on the job

Jetblue should promote him to VP of customer service, where he never has to deal with, er, customers.

[IDemo]

19. Glad the exchange didn't happen at 20,000 ft.

[JI7]

24. that sounds funny, i wish there was video of it

[Obamanaut]

28. Many additional responses at this earlier thread

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=8910070