Flight attendant Steven Slater may avoid jail

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Steven Slater, the JetBlue flight attendant who popped the slide and grabbed a beer after an altercation with a passenger, is scheduled to appear in court today. According to a report on Fox 5 New York (broadcast), he’s expected to plead guilty. The Associated Press reports that he may be eligible for an alternative sentencing program, such as treatment or community service (depending on his mental health evaluation). Maybe this means he won’t be a hero to flight attendants and other aviation professionals any longer.

In case you missed it:

The incident occurred Aug. 9 aboard a JetBlue Airways Corp. flight from Pittsburgh that had just landed at Kennedy International Airport. Slater got on the plane’s loudspeaker, cursed at passengers, then slid down the plane’s emergency slide.

The crazy flight attendant no longer works for JetBlue, having resigned. A career in reality television seems unlikely. I do wonder, though, if he’ll celebrate Halloween dressed as himself.

Costume store develops angry flight attendant Steven Slater costume

by Tom Johansmeyer on


I haven’t put on a costume for Halloween in years, but I think that’s going to change this year. I want to spend an evening as flight attendant hero irresponsible nut Steven Slater. In case you spent the summer living under a rock, Slater’s the flight attendant who tangled with a passenger (you know, one of the people he was responsible for protecting), popped the emergency slide, grabbed some beer from the plane and drove home to Queens.

He also hired a high-powered publicist, lied about his career and wanted his old job back before kicking around a future in media.

Ricky’s NYC, a major costume store with multiple locations, has developed a flight attendant costume that USA Today reports is clearly based on the nutjob who put lives on the ground at risk.

Here are the details on this particular getup:

The costume — shirt, tie, bandage (for the head wound reported to have been caused by a feisty passenger’s unwieldy carry-on luggage), brewskis not included — retails for $39.99 at Ricky’s stores and online at ricky’shalloween.com. It’s billed as the perfect outfit for making an early, and memorable, exit from a Halloween bash.

Fortunately, you won’t have to go to Queens after making your departure.

JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater’s head being examined to avoid jail

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Is anybody shocked that Steven Slater‘s head is being examined? While we all think know he’s nuts, this step is necessary for the criminal case that’s in the works. Remember: while the former JetBlue flight attendant was becoming a hero to airline employees across the country, he broke the law several times over, putting some of those very employees at risk of injury or death.

Attorneys on both sides of the Slater issue say they are working on a deal – and that Slater might be able to avoid jail time through alternative sentencing. Slater’s sudden realization that he needs his sanity checked out may be a sign that he’s coming to his senses:

[Image credit: AP]

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Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown said Slater’s willingness to be evaluated shows he’s taking the charges more seriously than he had in the past. Slater had spoken out after the incident, as his public opinion swelled and hundreds of thousands of fans online cheered him for standing up to the inhospitable world of airline travel.

Daniel J. Horwitz, Slater’s attorney, seems to be bolstering the results of an evaluation that hasn’t even come yet by citing the pressures his client is experiencing, including a terminally ill mother, recently deceased father and HIV positive diagnosis for Slater. He has his fingers crossed, so to speak, that prosecutors will consider Slater’s “long-standing and well-regarded reputation in the industry,” but that might not be a good idea, given that the permanently former flight attendant (it seems) has had a few issues with honesty in the past.

If the alternative sentencing deal comes through, Slater could wind up spending only a few weeks in treatment. Then, he can move on to that reality show.

Nutty flight attendant Slater leaves JetBlue, claims he wasn’t fired

by Tom Johansmeyer on

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For JetBlue, at least, the Steven Slater saga appears to be finished. The flight attendant who couldn’t handle his passenger safety cart-pushing responsibilities any longer resigned from JetBlue last week, according to his attorney. Initially, the delusional employee wanted his old job back. JetBlue has said that Slater is no longer an employee but didn’t mention whose choice it was.

Following his ride to fame down the emergency slide, Slater was suspended by JetBlue, which was planning to investigate. Internally, the company referred to Slater as being as “dangerous as a gun.”

This is the end of a career that may have lasted two decades, depending on how much of Slater’s math you trust, and he spent the last three years at JetBlue.

Of course, Slater isn’t out of the woods yet. The flight attendant, lauded by airline employees as a show of customer contempt envy and solidarity, still has to contend with criminal charges, including criminal mischief, reckless endangerment and trespassing. His next court date is today.

Fed up like Steven Slater? Get a SlipQuit!

by Julie Gerstein on


The Jet Blue Steven Slater story just won’t die — not if the makers of “SlipQuit” have anything to say about it. The “SlipQuit” is a diabolically hilarious take on Slater’s inflatable slide plane escape, and comes complete, says the ad, with “two cans of Blue Sky beer.” The ad promises it’s great for escaping boring parties and avoiding awkward conversations. We like the sound of that. If only it were real. [via Xeni @boingboing]