After a dispute with a passenger who stood to fetch luggage too soon on a full flight just in from Pittsburgh, Mr. Slater, 38 and a career flight attendant, got on the public-address intercom and let loose a string of invective.
Then, the authorities said, he 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 from 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, the authorities said.
But a former flight attendant, Janet Bavasso, who lives next door to Mr. Slater in Queens, found nothing mysterious at all.posted by msconduct at 7:33 AM on August 10, 2010 [2 favorites]
“Enough is enough — good for him,” Ms. Bavasso said. “If he would have called me, I would have picked him up.”
At the arraignment on felony charges of reckless endangerment and criminal mischief in a packed room in the basement of criminal court in Queens, Mr. Slater’s court-appointed lawyer, Howard Turman, said that Mr. Slater’s activation of the slide was not reckless. He said Mr. Slater followed the proper procedure for activating the slide, checking out the window first to make sure no one was on the tarmac who could be struck by it.Neither this guy's nor his lawyers balls fit in the overhead compartment.
...
When asked why Mr. Slater chose to avoid the conflict by taking the emergency slide, Mr. Turman replied, “It was right there.”
"A few years ago on a United Airlines flight from Buenos Aires to New York, Gerard B. Finneran, an investment banker, went totally bonkers. Newspaper accounts said that after becoming intoxicated, Finneran demanded more alcohol from the flight attendants. When they refused, he began helping himself to the liquor supply. After being cut off a second time, he became visibly angry. He pushed one flight attendant (federal offense No. 1), verbally threatened another (federal offense No. 2), interfered with a third who was assisting a sick passenger (federal offense No. 3), then walked up to the first-class cabin, dropped his pants and defecated on a service cart in plain view of the passengers and crew. Then he stepped in his own feces and tracked it through the main cabin (federal offense Nos. 4, 5 and possibly 6).The article continues with other "examples [which] will give you a better idea of what flight attendants put up with every day."
Finneran was arrested upon landing in New York. He subsequently pleaded guilty to assault and was sentenced to two years probation. In addition, he was given 300 hours of community service and a $5,000 fine and was ordered to pay more than $50,000 in restitution to the airline and to reimburse fellow passengers for the price of their tickets."
Jails To Charge For Room & Board.posted by ericb at 10:13 AM on August 10, 2010 [1 favorite]
Bill would raise cap on Va. inmates' rent to $5 a day.
Mass. and Calif. consider charging inmates $5-a-day rent.
When asked why Mr. Slater chose to avoid the conflict by taking the emergency slide, Mr. Turman replied, “It was right there.”Neither this guy's nor his lawyers balls fit in the overhead compartment.
According to his online profiles, Mr. Slater has been the leader of JetBlue’s uniform redesign committeePshht. Design people.
and a member of the airline’s in-flight values committee.== Passengers: watch your asses. posted by Ogre Lawless at 11:40 AM on August 10, 2010
"When officials caught up with him to arrest him for his shenanigans, he was allegedly having sex with his boyfriend."posted by ericb at 2:16 PM on August 10, 2010
o·ri·en·tate --posted by ericb at 11:59 AM on August 11, 2010 [1 favorite]
[awr-ee-uhn-teyt, -en-, ohr-] –verb (used with object), verb (used without object), -tat·ed, -tat·ing. to orient.
orientated --
Function: adjective
Usage: chiefly British
Date: 1950.
"TMZ has learned the people at Goodrich -- who manufacture the inflatable emergency evacuation slide for the JetBlue Embraer ERJ-190 plane -- tell us they're 'pleased' with the way the slide performed during Slater's infamous moment. A rep for the company tells us the slide 'functioned properly ... just like it was designed to.' As for Slater's technique -- Goodrich says, 'From what we can tell, he did things exactly the way he was supposed to ... with the exception of throwing his luggage down the slide.'"*posted by ericb at 12:06 PM on August 13, 2010 [1 favorite]
"Michael Priem, CEO of USDM.net -- an agency that works with U.S. and international airlines, Hilton and others -- said he has brought up the Slater story in meetings and expects travel and tourism marketing firms to react to it, whether by referencing the case directly or drawing indirect lessons from it. He can see any service company benefitting from a campaign that uses Slater as a spokesman. 'He could show how painful it is to be in the wait line for a cell phone carrier or sit at a service center that frustrates us,' Priem said. Joseph Jaffe, a consulting on new marketing, had a Hollywood comparison for the flight attendant. "Steve Slater is the modern-day equivalent of Charles Bronson in 'Death Wish' -- except, of course, there's no artillery, bloodshed or permanent damage in this particular example of brand vigilantism," he said. 'I'd recommend JetBlue gets behind him. They have the kind of brand personality and authentic self-assuredness to use this as a perfect opportunity to demonstrate purpose and conviction. And if not, then I'd recommend one of their competitors snapped him up.' Angela Farrell, an accountant at marketing firm MSCO, reminded that 'American Idol' seems to be in need of a new controversial host/hero, and Scott Cromer, partner and managing director of creative agency Mutt Industries said, 'The whole thing feels like a John Hughes film.' Said Jim Joseph, president of Lippe Taylor: 'I think he will end up being a spokesperson of some sort. He's quickly becoming the mascot for the disgruntled employee.'" *posted by ericb at 12:07 PM on August 13, 2010
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