Ha! Gotta love the “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore stories,” according to the New York Times:
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.
He was arrested at his home in Belle Harbor, Queens, a few miles from the airport, and charged with felony counts of criminal mischief and reckless endangerment. One passenger stood up to retrieve belongings from the overhead compartment before the crew had given permission. Mr. Slater instructed the person to remain seated. The passenger defied him. Mr. Slater reached the passenger just as the person was pulling down the luggage, which struck Mr. Slater in the head.
Mr. Slater asked for an apology. The passenger instead cursed at him. Mr. Slater got on the plane’s public-address system and cursed out the passenger for all to hear. Then, after declaring that 20 years in the airline industry was enough, he blurted out, “It’s been great!”
He’s decisive and strong under pressure….think we’ve got ourselves a Joe The Plumber for the good guys! “Fans” of Stevens work have already started several Facebook pages dedicated to him.
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OMG! I just had one of those moments. I had to spazz out on a hard headed client who refused to take the time to listen. I’m not sure what I would’ve done if he had cursed at me!
But the American public can be so damn rude, arrogant, and entitled that extending common curteousy can become extremely difficult after dealing with the bullshit for a few years.
airline passengers are jerks…and should be checked.