OT JetBlue flight attendant allegedly fled his plane via emergency chute -- beer in hand

[Metspitzer]

Way To Go!

[Jim Elbrecht]

Would have been a lot more dramatic if it was a *para* chute- instead of the emergency slide at an airport.

What a maroon- Jim

[Kurt Ullman]

Don't go there. One of the longest (and dumbest) thread-arguments on another NG was whether or not you actually can open the cabin door at altitude (grin).

[HeyBub]

Heh!

"Police sources said that when authorities found [the flight attendant] he seemed to be in the midst having sexual relations [with his boyfriend]."

This may have simply been a case of urgent need. He could claim exigent circumstances.

[Ed Pawlowski]

He's becoming a hero. I guess a lot of people would like to do the same thing. They showed him smiling on the news and referred to the cut on his head as a badge of honor.

[Ed Pawlowski]

Maybe that too.

He got on the PA and told the passengers to go f yourselves, or words to that effect. I imagine most people that have jobs in customer service or contact with the public would like to do that at times.

[DerbyDad03]

re: "He's becoming a hero"

Last night Steven Colbert named him his "Alpha Dog Of The Week"

[Higgs Boson]

Please try to be at least a little bit accurate. He addressed his comment to the nasty passenger who had just told HIM to**** himself. He did NOT "...tell the passengerS to ....". He was very much provoked by the nasty passenger. After 20 years of this, something could and did snap.

Also: He checked on the ground BEFORE deploying the slide, so the pig media are in error (as usual) by gloating that he could have injured people on the ground. After 20 years of watching over peoples' safety, it's not likely that he would endanger someone in a fit of pique.

[norminn]

When I worked in HR and handled insurance issues for employees, things often got emotional. Most often, underpayments occurred because folks didn't complete claim forms properly. All the "nosy" stuff (accident?, work-related?) on the claim forms had a reason for being there. Employees were rarely abusive, but it happened a couple of times. One day a guy yelled at me and left, slamming the door as he went out...no cussing or personal stuff, as I recall. For a while, I thought about what I should have said and was on the verge of marching out to tell him what I should have said....he ruined my day by coming back to apologize :o) The company, and the HR department, were very pro-employee and had great benefits, so it wasn't a case of the "poor" employee getting kicked around.

[norminn]

The last couple of times I have flown, the routine was baggage class....everyone had carry-ons, the plane was loaded via front and back doors, and it was FULL. Someone was loading the last carry-on into the overhead compartment and it didn't fit very well....they started forcing the door. Attendant politely came on the intercom and said that if overhead doors are broken, the flight would be cancelled. Seems like, from the attendant point of view, it has gone from serving the public to herding cattle. Twenty years?

[DerbyDad03]

re: "After 20 years of watching over peoples' safety, it's not likely that he would endanger someone in a fit of pique."

Right up to that point, I was on your side.

Once a person crosses that thin line between rational thought and bizarre behavior, I don't think you can use their past history as a gauge of what they might or might not do.

The preacher who has an affair after leading his church for 35 years. The teacher who shoots a fellow teacher after grooming hundreds of straight A students over 25 years. The high school coach who pummels a parent after being named "State Coach of the Year" 3 years in a row.

They were all upstanding (albeit hypothetical) citizens until something made them snap.

As they say in the financial business: "Past performance is no guarantee of future results."

[Han]

Metspitzer wrote in news: [e-mail]:

How come the media haven't caught up with the expletive deleted "person or persons" who incited all this ruckus?

[RicodJour]

[e-mail]:

I hadn't really thought about that, but of course, they _should_ be in the news as well. And put on a do-not-fly or mandatory-body-cavity- search list.

But the airlines have to take some responsibility for such things happening. They've lowered the baggage allowance and jacked prices, so what do people do? Duh - they carry on way more stuff. I've rarely seen someone get shot down for having a too large carry on bag, and they never weigh them like they're supposed to do. When you have a too big bag that's a bit too heavy, and everyone is doing it, of course there's going to be too little space in the overhead compartments and people are going to have a tough time lifting/forcing them in there.

R

[Han]

RicodJour wrote in news:cc918cfd-afb6-4219-b043- [e-mail]:

I feel for the people who try to cheat the luggage fees (not!!!). IMNSHO, people and their luggage should be weighed and then charged $1/lbs over 225 lbs .

I can't stand the people who rush into a plane with all their bags and steal all the overhead space.

Btw, I had to pay $800 plus 100,000 miles to get a first class seat on my flight home from Paris, so I could keep my broken leg elevated most of the time.

[HeyBub]

Find a need and fill it. UPS is now offering a "suitcase" ship. You put your stuff in a "Japanese cardboard luggage" looking box and send it to your hotel. Way cheaper than airline luggage charges.

[RicodJour]

3-

You should have shipped the leg home ahead of you. ;)

How'd you break it?

R

[Ed Pawlowski]

"Higgs Boson" wrote

I repeated what I was told by the media. I'm glad you were there to get the facts and clear this up.

[Han]

RicodJour wrote in news:f4dbf948-a478-4eae-b418- [e-mail]:

Good idea. Should have thought of that ...

Slipped off a rock bordering a playground full of beach sand. Probably some fine sand provided lubrication under my shoes. Fortunately, I was operated on and back from recovery in a hospital room within 5 hours from breaking the leg, including wait time for ambulance and ER diagnostics.

[trader4]

On Aug 11, 4:27=A0pm, RicodJour wrote:

[e-mail]:

Except that from all indications, that isn;'t what happened. The plane was not departing, it was arriving. The passenger supposedly accidently hit the flight attendant while removing his bag and refused to appologize, which started the incident.

I have no sympathy for this moron. There are Fed laws governing unruly passengers and he could have followed procedures and called for security to deal with the woman. Even if she were just detained for an hour and questioned, that would have certainly made a lasting impression on her for her actions. I've personally seen people removed from planes for being abusive to flight attendents. A case in point. Recently I was travelling back from West Palm Beach to Philly. As the plane was loading, it became clear that there would not be enough overhead storage for all the passengers. So the flight attendents told people at some point on the jetway that from that point on carry-on bags had to be checked to go in the cargo hold. I did it and there is no charge. This woman started bitching about it, insisting she had the right to carry the bag on, that her 80 year old mother was meeting her and would now have to wait while her luggage came out, etc. This continued onto the plane and even after she was seated. Finally, they told her to take another airline and escorted her off the plane. That plane was the last flight from WPB to Philly that night. So, she must have wound up having to stay overnight. The best part was the flight got in early and by the time I took a quick bathroom stop and then got to baggage claim, the bags were already coming off. That;s a far better solution, inconveniencing the screw ball, rather than screwing up other passengers and possibly endangering ground personnel.

What he did cost the airline significant money. It was reported on the news last night that it costs $25K to restore the emergency chute after deployment. Also, that plane was likely out of service for a good deal of time and passengers waiting for it for the next flight likely spent hours waiting, missed connections, meetings, etc.

The guy should pay the full cost for what he did and get convicted on at least some of the charges.

[Han]

[e-mail] wrote in news: [e-mail]:

I agree with all you say trader4, exept that the airline was at fault for allowing too much carry-on and for failure to discipline abusive passenger(s). I hope the incident will get airlines to enforce their rules.

My bag was too much when I got fairly late to the gate and was taken as "gate-checked" luggage (no charge). When I got out of the plane at destination, it was waiting for me at the entrance to the jetway.