JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater was involved in a bizarre incident on Monday, August 9, 2010 that escalated after he encountered an uncooperative passenger on JetBlue (B6) Flight 1052 from Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). The 39 year old cabin crew member was hit in the head by either an overhead storage door or luggage, after he had asked the passenger to remain seated until the Embraer 190 twin engine jet, which had landed at 11:55 a.m. EDT, had reached the gate.
The passenger, an unidentified woman, allegedly told the crew member to "F--- Off". Slater reacted badly, went on the cabin microphone yelling obscenities at the 100 passengers on the plane, grabbed a beer from the galley, deployed an emergency exit chute, slid to the ground, walked to his silver jeep wrangler parked at an employee lot, and drove to his beachside home in nearby Belle Harbor, Queens, NY. If it had been an action movie, it couldn't have been better scripted.
CAPTIONS: (ABOVE LEFT) JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater in the cabin. (MySpace Photo); (BELOW RIGHT) JetBlue flight attendant, Steven Slater, went on a tirade after a customer upset him. (Facebook Photo); (BELOW LEFT) JetBlue Flight 1052 Embraer at Terminal 5 Gate 3 at JFK (Photo from AP video); (BELOW RIGHT BOTTOM) Deployed slide on JetBlue Embraer 190 aircraft (Photo from Pix TV 11, NY video)
Two videos and a slide show follow this article.
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JetBlue Airways delayed reporting the incident for 25 minutes. Port Authority police took him into custody within the hour, and charged Slater with trespassing, criminal mischief and reckless endangerment. If convicted, he faces up to seven years in prison. Mr. Slater remains held at the Queens Criminal Courthouse.
First Officer Scott Bienz tried to block the flight attendant from getting to the emergency exit, but was unable to hold him back, according to a statement he gave authorities.
One of Slater's neighbor's, Janet Babasso, expressed shock and disbelief. She characterized the flight attendant this way: "He's the sweetest, mellowest guy I ever met. I cannot picture him sliding down a chute!"
Her husband, Bruce Babasso, 65, said that Slater’s father died two years ago from ALS, also called Lou Gehrig’s Disease. His mother has cancer and has been told she has less than two months to live.
According to LinkedIn, Slater has worked for JetBlue since January 2008, and served as chairman of JetBlue's uniform redesign committee and on the company's in-flight values committee. He has also worked as a flight attendant for Skywest, Business Express (a Northwest Airlink), TWA, and Delta Air Lines. Apparently the incident on Monday was a tipping point for the mild mannered, gentle man. The carrier has stated that it is working closely with law enforcement in their investigation. All passengers exited the aircraft safely through the jetway.
Reaction on social networking sites have been overwhelmingly positive, in support of the flight
attendant, who has become an instant cult hero, prompting many to relate their own over the edge work encounters. The low fare, value added carrier normally seeks out media attention and the buzz such interest creates. JetBlue is a company with a big heart, but this matter may exceed their ability to handle it through counseling and re-training, since aircraft safety has been compromised, and laws broken.
We are especially interested in hearing your reaction. As a flight attendant, passenger, or the general public, how do these events resonate with you? Please leave comments below or by email and subscribe to get future updates.
Comments
I am sure that stress levels can build in the enclosed space of an airplane cabin, but this guy's actions can't be tolerated or justified. At least he didn't physically harm anyone.
We all reach a breaking point sometime. His reaction was reckless and could have endangered others. However, my heart goes out to him.
Get a grip. People are rude and impatient on the airplanes. Standing up early only endangers themselves and other passengers Especially when they open the overhead compartments. The rules state to sit down until the plane has stopped. The guy was just doing his job and got belted both physically and verbally for it. Yes we should all behave correctly, but do you blame the guy. Tresspassing (really he works there), criminal mischief and reckless endangerment should be charged to the stupid passanger! As for me I have days I'd like to grab two beers and jump out the window on a slide. Good choice! Lighten up travelers, follow the rules and respect authority. They will always let all the passangers off the plane.
"and on the company's in-flight values committee" - maybe that is part of Jet Blue's new values.. or he got a concussion from the hit to the head and the stress he is experiencing with his mom/dad etc...
Still unacceptable behavior no matter what.
My co-worker is saying this guy is her hero!!! Yeah....unacceptable behavior but, really, how much canone take and "turn the other cheek"? Rules in the aircract are there for a reason. And if this lady thought that she was soooo important that she didn't need to wait till the plane was stopped to retrieve her belongings thenn she really needed to hear, in not so choice words, that she wasn't that important after all!!! Right on Steve!!!
This guy seems to have a lot of personality, based on his MySpace photos. He's now a hero to frustrated employees everywhere!
this story keeps getting better and better. he really does seem to have become some kind of 'folk hero' for frustrated workers, travelers, and people who all know that at some point enough is enough. how does a person expect to handle a situation coolly and properly when the situation has become so far out of hand. we are not job. if enough comes flying at us without us being able to deflect, block, handle, or dispense with, we react. we go on the offensive or the defensive. who can blame steven slater for reacting? who has been pushed so far over the edge that they reach a breaking point and still held their 'cool'? no one. that's who.
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