a bad day... (flight attendant tale) [Archive]

TheSHAD0W

08-10-2010, 02:42 AM

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local-beat/Airline-Steward-at-JFK-Pulls-Emergency-Chute-Flies-Coop-100286494.html

After getting hit by a bag being pulled out of an overhead compartment by a woman who then cursed at him, this steward got on the PA, cursed out the whole plane, pulled an emergency chute release, slid down and ran off.

emax4

08-10-2010, 03:12 AM

I check out consumerist.com daily but found this little story after work. Apparently there was an altercation on a flight from Pittsburgh to NY. During the landing procedure, a guest tried to retrieve his belongings from the overhead compartment, but there was no announcement that it was okay for any guest to do so while in descent. One flight attendant tried to stop the guest and explained the procedures, the guest didn't listen, managed to open the compartment and the guest's luggage hit the flight attendant on the head.

The flight attendant demanded an apology, and naturally the SC would not give him one and called the attendant a M*****F*****. Having had enough the flight attendant got one the intercom and said "to the guy who called me a m*****f****, F*** YOU!... (blah blah). One source he just went off on the unruly guest while another report says that he went off on all the guests but mainly the one who wouldn't listen to him. Once the plane landed, the flight attendant took the emergency exit out, slid down the inflatable ramp, took his tie off and went home where he was later arrested.

A lot of the viewers gave the guy kudos, and I agree. It takes balls to stand up to someone like that, but it also shows how much stupid customers and their "entitlement" can run someone to the ground. This is why I won't work for a company that lets customers abuse the company's employees.

Rine

08-10-2010, 03:24 AM

I read this on CNN. Best way to quit ever, I think.

And he grabbed beer before sliding down the chute. That really made me laugh. Seriously, I think this is the best "I quit!" stories I've ever read.

PepperElf

08-10-2010, 03:52 AM

i kinda call "bs" on the charges of "reckless endangerment" and "trespassing"

cos he didn't endanger anyone by leaving. and he didn't trespass cos he had a legal right to be on the plane in the first place

i do hope he doesn't go to prison tho
cos sometimes you just go crazy dealing with SCs

trailerparkmedic

08-10-2010, 04:02 AM

I was going to post this.

Coolest quitting scene EVER. I would be tempted to do the same if someone hit me in the head and then cussed me out instead of apologizing.

draggar

08-10-2010, 09:39 AM

I was going to post this.

Coolest quitting scene EVER. I would be tempted to do the same if someone hit me in the head and then cussed me out instead of apologizing.

Same here, on both counts. :D

Whiskey

08-10-2010, 10:04 AM

i kinda call "bs" on the charges of "reckless endangerment" and "trespassing"

I can, kind of a little bit, see the reckless endangerment. People in herds are reactive. If they see someone pulling the emergency exit they could panic, thinking somethings wrong with the plane, and someone could get hurt.

Best quit ever.

ditchdj

08-10-2010, 03:45 PM

That passenger's lucky he hasn't been arrested by the Feds himself.

Disobeying a plan steward's instructions alone is a Federal offense. It's part of the "Patriot Act".

cinema guy

08-10-2010, 03:48 PM

Flight attendant rows with customer, grabs beer and leaves (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/aug/10/jetblue-airways-flight-attendant-exit)

lordlundar

08-10-2010, 04:08 PM

I know people are cheering him on, I'm not one of them. There are people outside the plane who are doing their work in close proximity, and those slides are very heavy and inflate very rapidly. Should someone be hit by one of those it could seriously injure or kill them This is logic that clearly didn't run through his mind or he just plain didn't give a damn. Be mad, make a grand exit, I don't give a damn, but don't risk the lives of people who had no involvement in the situation. Regardless of his feelings, he shouldn't have done it.

Magpie

08-10-2010, 05:08 PM

MaggieTheCat

08-10-2010, 05:37 PM

Why was the flight attendant arrested?

Edit: Nevermind, posted before the two threads were merged and I saw the link.

Rapscallion

08-10-2010, 05:47 PM

Worth merging separate threads on the same topic.

Rapscallion

mikoyan29

08-10-2010, 06:04 PM

Had he not been staff, his behaviour would have been very SC. He demanded an apology, swore at the other guy in public, and then cost the company a lot of money and reputation by doing something dangerous. It actually sounds like the stress in his personal life might have flicked a switch somewhere, because that's rather extreme behaviour, to put it mildly.
someone up there did mention that the guy who the vulgarity was directed at refused to comply with the instructions of the flight crew. That seems to be getting lost in any of the news reports I've read. They make it sound like innocent passenger was merely getting his bag out of the overhead and it just sort of hit the flight attendent. They kind of glossed over the fact that plane was still taxiing. Anytime I've ever been on a plane they remind people to stay in their seats until the plane comes to a complete stop and seat belt signs come on. As it is, the passenger is probably going to get a free flight or two for his "inconvenience". However, I'm not going to give the flight attendent hero status because he could have dealt with it in a more professional manner.

MoonCat

08-10-2010, 06:15 PM

The minute I heard this story on the news (without most of the detail) I just knew some idiot had opened an overhead compartment before the plane stopped moving.

If I had been hit on the head by that guy's luggage I would have lost it, too. Consider what would have happened if the bag had hit one of the other passengers, possibly a little kid. They should have arrested the passenger for disobeying safety instructions.

Yeah, maybe the attendant could have handled it differently, but I'm guessing it was just the last straw and he was past caring. That doesn't happen for one incident, it usually takes a while to build up. I bet the passenger in question was a pain in the butt for the whole flight, from ticketing to boarding right up to getting out of his seat when he wasn't supposed to.

wagegoth

08-10-2010, 06:51 PM

During the landing procedure, a guest tried to retrieve his belongings from the overhead compartment, but there was no announcement that it was okay for any guest to do so while in descent. One flight attendant tried to stop the guest and explained the procedures, the guest didn't listen, managed to open the compartment and the guest's luggage hit the flight attendant on the head.

On the flight attendant's behalf, I heard an updated story that it wasn't the guest's luggage that hit him in the head, but the overhead bin lid. So the guest apparently not only ignored the flight attendant, but proceeded to hit him in the head with the bin.

emax4

08-11-2010, 02:44 AM

Don't forget the fact that not only did the offending passenger refuse to apologize for her actions, but risked the lives of others while reaching for her luggage when instructed not to.

PepperElf

08-11-2010, 04:17 AM

and i can imagine NO ONE would be in a good mood after being hit in the head with luggage

especially after telling the passenger to sit back down.

if i remember the passenger was a jerk to the attendant - even after the luggage brained him.

Sapphire Silk

08-11-2010, 01:14 PM

The flight attendant should have taken a dive . . . dropped on the floor, moaning and groaning, put all the drama he could into it.

Even if the SC probably doesn't have a conscience to emotionally blackmail, the attendant could at least have gotten out of the job with workman's comp (since according to the article I read he was planning to quit anyway).

Dreamstalker

08-11-2010, 01:25 PM

Consider what would have happened if the bag had hit one of the other passengers, possibly a little kid. They should have arrested the passenger for disobeying safety instructions.
Indeed. I know on approach to Reagan Airport, passengers can't leave their seats for a fair amount of time prior to landing, and that is enforced. Not to the hogtying-with-seat-belt extent, but I have seen an SC escorted back to their seat rather quickly (it seems like they just stood up to be a jerk about it).

The news here also omitted a lot of the pertinent details. They had an 'etiquette expert' on and she basically said: if people are rude to you suck it up, your job is to serve the customer. (they've had this expert on before, both mom and I take issue with most of what she has to say). There's only so much one can do to placate SCs before the gloves have to come off in some fashion.

Has anyone heard whether anything happened to the passenger? (probably not)

mikoyan29

08-11-2010, 01:38 PM

Indeed. I know on approach to Reagan Airport, passengers can't leave their seats for a fair amount of time prior to landing, and that is enforced. Not to the hogtying-with-seat-belt extent, but I have seen an SC escorted back to their seat rather quickly (it seems like they just stood up to be a jerk about it).

The news here also omitted a lot of the pertinent details. They had an 'etiquette expert' on and she basically said: if people are rude to you suck it up, your job is to serve the customer. (they've had this expert on before, both mom and I take issue with most of what she has to say). There's only so much one can do to placate SCs before the gloves have to come off in some fashion.

Has anyone heard whether anything happened to the passenger? (probably not)
Your job is to serve the customer but your job is also to maintain the safety of the aircraft and the passengers on that aircraft. Having passengers moving about the cabin while the plane is moving does not foster that job. Where is the etiquette person talking about the two year that can't be bothered to follow simple instructions? Oh wait, he's a customer and the airlines are supposed to bend over and kiss his ass. I'm sick of petulant children getting their way, what about all the people that follow the rules? Oh yeah, they're the ones that have to suck it up and pay for the petulant children.

I've not hear anythign about what happend to the passenger but I'm going to guess that he's getting a couple free flights for his inconvenience.....

Dreamstalker

08-11-2010, 01:52 PM

Your job is to serve the customer but your job is also to maintain the safety of the aircraft and the passengers on that aircraft. Having passengers moving about the cabin while the plane is moving does not foster that job.
I'm guessing the 'expert' (who probably never actually worked a service job in any capacity) was trying to apply her ideas about a land-based service job--which is comparing apples and swordfish. I have some idea of the training and certifications flight attendants have to go through, add the general stress and a percentage of passengers who think that their ticket gives them the right to be assholes and I am not surprised he snapped after being hit.

I have a friend who was a flight attendant for about 20 years, and finally had to quit because the SCs were getting too much. Some of the tales he told were :eek:

Sliceanddice

08-11-2010, 04:18 PM

actually according to the article and defense attorney she hit him with the luggage AT THE BEGINNING of the flight. this actually started after she had to gate check and her bag wasnt immediately available when landing.

but it was a bad bad bad flight.

Dreamstalker

08-11-2010, 04:31 PM

I had a suspicion it started elsewhere, the news report we saw conveniently left that part out.

Abby_Normal

08-11-2010, 06:28 PM

According to some extra details in this article (http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local-beat/Airline-Steward-at-JFK-Pulls-Emergency-Chute-Flies-Coop-100286494.html), the passenger had an oversized bag at the start she ended up having to check in and that's when he was hit in the head. Then she bitched because her bag wasn't immediately available when the plan landed.

After the altercation:

Slater then activated the aircraft emergency slide on door R-2, proceeded to the chute, looked down to ensure that nobody was below it as he had been trained to do, and he deployed the device and went down it safely, his attorney said.

My personal favorite part:

Police sources said that when authorities found Slater he seemed to be in the midst having sexual relations.

dendawg

08-11-2010, 09:33 PM

Here's a CGI re-enactment of the whole ordeal. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBvakgglAPM) :lol: :roll:

tropicsgoddess

08-11-2010, 10:22 PM

Oh man, that is one helluva way to quit a job! That dude has some big cajones to do that!! :eek: :respect:

fireheart

08-11-2010, 10:22 PM

Here's a CGI re-enactment of the whole ordeal. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBvakgglAPM) :lol: :roll:

Wow, I had to laugh at the fact that while the Chinese guy was talking over the top of most of it, the part where he curses out the customer over the PA system was actually KEPT IN, bleeped out curse words and all :lol:. Also, the CGI footage shows the overhead bin being opened and then the oversized bag falling on the guy's head.

Just a note folks for the video, the whole thing's in Chinese.

fireheart

08-12-2010, 02:04 PM

Now even PFB's getting in on the action. (http://www.planetfeedback.com/blog/airline+attendant+gets+the+blues+at+jet+blue/326556)

Oddly enough, most of the views there are similar to the views here. :)

mikoyan29

08-12-2010, 03:57 PM

It seems like just about every news report I've seen about this mentions his tirade and post tirade actions in quite vivid detail but gloss over her actions. I mean, I was under the impression that we were supposed to have zero tolerance when it comes to passengers disobeying the safety instructions from flight attendants. How come she isn't facing charges for what she did? It just doesn't seem right.

eltf177

08-14-2010, 06:12 PM

I too think Slater handled this badly. He's now pretty much unemployable; I can't see _anybody_ taking a chance on him after this.

His best course of action would to have been to sic the FAA and TSA on the sucky passenger; a lot of people have been detained for _far_ less than this! That would have been his best revenge, having the SC missing their next flight and _not_ getting reimbursed. And unfortunately I agree, now the sucky assh*le is going to get free tickets for their 'humiliation' and 'inconvenience' instead of the ass-chewing they really deserve.

Irving Patrick Freleigh

08-14-2010, 06:46 PM

It seems like just about every news report I've seen about this mentions his tirade and post tirade actions in quite vivid detail but gloss over her actions.

Because the woman disobeying the flight attendant isn't the juicy part of the story. The flight attendant flipping his shit, grabbing a beer, and hightailing it down the emergency chute is. If the woman does get charged for her actions, you probably won't hear much about it.

Guy's pretty much fucked now. He may have been planning to quit anyhow, but he blew his top in a very public manner and drew bad attention to his former employer. Who's going to take a chance on him?

I understand why he blew up like that. I can't condone it.

tropicsgoddess

08-15-2010, 01:16 PM

UPDATE: The sucky passenger may get slapped with a $25,000 fine for her part of the fiasco. What sucks is that the flight attendant could get up to 7 years up the river if he's convicted. http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/plane_iac_foe_faces_hit_sKV8ov9bc1fFZcr8XWwmaJ

eltf177

08-15-2010, 08:45 PM

Sucks for Slater, but what he did was _way_ over the line. I have a hunch that he won't get much actual time, just enough to make it clear this sort of antic isn't acceptable. As for "another door opening", good luck with that!

I was glad to read the bitch who started this will get slammed. Hopefully she'll get the max and this will sink into SC's everywhere that this sort of crap won't be tolerated.

lordlundar

08-17-2010, 01:04 AM

Sucks for Slater, but what he did was _way_ over the line.

Agreed. He could have simply stormed off the departure ramp like anyone else but instead he deploys a emergency slide (which can be lethal if it hits someone) while there are ground crews working in the area.

And now he's being propositioned to host a reality show about disgruntled employees leaving in flamboyant manners. Bad idea, because soon enough, someone not involved in a particular situation is going to be severely injured because some moron wants to be on the show.