a bad day... (flight attendant tale)

[dendawg]

Here's a CGI re-enactment of the whole ordeal.

[Abby_Normal]

According to some extra details in this article, 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.

[Dreamstalker]

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

[Sliceanddice]

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]

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

[mikoyan29]

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]

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)

[Sapphire Silk]

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).

[PepperElf]

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.

[emax4]

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.

[wagegoth]

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.

[MoonCat]

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.

[mikoyan29]

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.

[Rapscallion]

Worth merging separate threads on the same topic.

Rapscallion

[MaggieTheCat]

Why was the flight attendant arrested?

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