Ok, by now I'm sure almost everyone has heard about the infamous hissy fit by the JetBlue flight attendant. The star of all this drama, Steven Slater, has milked much more than the traditional fifteen minutes of fame. And it seems there are still “new developments” every time I open up one of the news sites.
For anyone who may have slept through this one, I'll give the quick version to bring you up to date.......
Mr. Slater was a flight attendant for JetBlue Airlines. On Monday, he was apparently having a bad day. At some point, he got into an pissing contest with a passenger over a piece of overhead luggage. During the exchange, Mr. Slater was allegedly thumped in the head with the luggage. He traded some words with the passenger, a few f-bombs were dropped and then they parted ways. Shortly afterward, while waiting for approval to exit the plane, Slater decided to take the stage. He turned on the plane's microphone and proceeded with a profanity laced tirade directed at the passengers, especially the one with whom he had the altercation.
Immediately afterward, Slater basically said “I've had enough of this bullshit. I'm out of here!” Then, he grabbed a couple of beers, deployed the planes emergency chute and proceeded to slide out of the plane and into infamy. Woo hoo!
I have to admit, I love the image of a guy who's reached the breaking point, sliding out into the sunset with a cold beer. The whole thing is kind of like Office Space on an airplane.
But then, the story gets even more strange. Slater left the airport and drove home. When the police came to his house to arrest him a short time later, he was apparently in the middle of a compromising position with his gay partner. I guess he was deploying his own chute??
I can't understand this. If I were this guy, instead of rushing into a sexual tryst, I would have been calling all of my friends, saying, “Hey Dude, you're not gonna beleive this! Guess what I did at work today!!” You have to admit, he had a hell of story to share!
As strange and funny as it seemed, somehow Slater was labeled a hero. Proving once again, that anything is possible in America. He was mad as hell and wasn't going to take it anymore! He was standing up for the little guy! At least, that was the portrayal from various media sources.
However, as the story continues to unfold, it appears that Slater may be a bigger jerk than some of the passengers who drove him to this. It's been reported that he was rude, obnoxious and possible even drunk. Who knows what to believe anymore?
And now, Slater is saying that he is interested in coming back to work! Is he serious? Can he really expect JetBlue or any airline to welcome him back as if nothing happened? If he does, this guy is even more warped than we think! I think he should stay away from airports for a little while.
Aside from all of this, there are some other things that are a bit concerning. For instance, don't you think a flight attendant sliding down the emergency chute with beer in hand should generate at least a little investigation? After all, the rest of us us would be manhandled and strip searched for trying to smuggle a pair of nail clippers onboard. But Steven the flaming flight attendant can make his dramatic exit without any follow up? Come on!
And how was he allowed to leave the airport so effortlessly? At the very least, you would think that someone from JetBlue would have stopped him. From what I understand, every time the emergency chute is deployed, it costs that airline $25,000. I would think that Slater's supervisors would have an issue with him over that alone. And, of course, there's that little issue of cursing out the passengers over the intercom. That type of thing is usually frowned upon.
There's no telling where this story will end up. But, at least for now, Steven Slater will remain the envy of disgruntled employees everywhere.....
KW
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