Ask Gadling: Does it really cost $25,000 to repack an airplane evacuation slide?

by Scott Carmichael on

This question is obviously triggered after the JetBlue incident last week – when Steven Slater deployed the emergency slide, the media claimed the damage was around $25,000 just to repack the slide.

So, I did a bit of research, and contacted a friend who actually manages a large international airline. The answer was quite surprising – $25,000 is on the very, very cheap side.

To get the deployed slide back to its usable condition, they don’t just roll it up, they actually have to deflate it and remove the entire slide assembly from the door of the plane, load it into a truck and bring it to a certified maintenance facility.

Most large airlines will have a couple of spare slides, so they can replace the deployed slide relatively quickly, but they can’t use the plane until it has operational slides. The deployed slide has to be inflated again and checked for any leaks – then it is professionally repacked, and its inflation canister is re-pressurized or replaced. Only after it has been fully inspected can it be put aside while the airline waits for the next incident that requires a new slide.

The total damage on a commercial jet can be as much as $50,000. This includes the cost of replacing the slide, and the time lost when the jet is out of service. If the airline is lucky, the plane will be close to a facility that can replace it, in the worst case, they need to load a replacement slide onto another plane and ferry it in, along with a maintenance crew.

So there you have it – an evacuation slide is quite a bit more complex than the moon bounce at the local Chuck E. Cheese.

[Photo from: Flickr / Joel Franusic]

JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater lies about passenger assault

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Steven Slater without a reason for his slide to glory is really just a random weirdo with a salient dangerous streak. After all, any goodwill the flight attendant got from the public was based on the horrible working conditions he endured – including being assaulted by a passenger and getting a gash on his head in the process – and the fact that they drove him to his “take this job and shove it” moment. It’s starting to look like this airline worker “hero” is a liar, according to the New York Post.

Investigators are “leaning toward” the notion that Slater’s claims of being an assault victim are not true. Apparently, there’s no evidence to support his version of how the bloody cut appeared on his forehead. Meanwhile:

“A significant number of people said he had the cut before he boarded the plane, and several other passengers said he was acting erratically on the flight,” the source said.

As The Post reported, at least one customer claimed Slater had bloodshot eyes.

Slater, of course, has no comment, but he’s probably searching like crazy for his Queen home’s emergency slide. Don’t worry: he’ll stop by the fridge first to grab a few beer – Blue Moons, like the brews from the flight.

[Image: AP Foto/Louis Lanzano]

Steven Slater Video: Watch the nutty flight attendant ride to infamy

by Tom Johansmeyer on


The above video comes from NBC New York, which claims the exclusive on it. Seventeen seconds in, you can see the emergency slide pop out from the right side of the plane (which is actually on your left). It happens in the center of the screen, but you need to look carefully, because the view is partially obstructed. The slide pops out toward the front of the plane. At 26 seconds, you can see disgruntled flight attendant Steven Slater step out of the plane and start to slide down, though this was shot from a distance, so it’s easy to miss.

What you don’t have to look carefully to notice is that there is activity around the plane. There are people outside guilty of nothing but doing their jobs, making it clear that he risk associated with Slater’s activating the slide very real. It isn’t hard to see why an internal JetBlue memo likened it to a gun.

Click here for five interesting post-meltdown jobs for Steven Slater >>

Could airline baggage fees create another Steven Slater?

by Tom Johansmeyer on


We’re still in the early stages of figuring out just want made flight attendant Steven Slater jettison himself from a JetBlue plane via the emergency slide. There are conflicting accounts from the passengers on board, including those who allegedly pushed Slate over the edge, and then there’s Slater’s story about having been beaten by an unruly passenger’s bag. He raised the issue of how passenger carry-ons are getting out of control – and how they’re only making flight attendants‘ jobs harder.

At the same time, we’ve seen a rise in the number of airlines charging fees for checked luggage. Before this happened, passengers were motivated to bring their luggage on board by the lengthy waits at carousels upon arrival. Now that you’re increasingly likely to have to pay for that dubious privilege, it’s even harder not to carry more on board with you. So, the overhead bins are becoming tighter, and passengers, eager to take their seats upon boarding and get onto terra firma upon arrival, are tangling more and more.

Not everybody has rushed to shove what they would have checked into the overheads, of course. Airlines are reporting billions of dollars in aggregate from ancillary fees, including those for checked bags. That money has to be coming from somewhere, of course. Nonetheless, there’s now even more reason to try to get your bags into the cabin, even with JetBlue’s “first checked bag free” policy.
So, the airlines have realized a return on customer frustration (a financial ratio I wish really existed), making money on checked bags, and at the same time, the flight attendants are sustaining headaches from passengers who are trying to dodge the cost. It’s no fun for anybody, particularly the passengers, who are paying to be put into this situation.

The big question remains: are these policies the breeding ground for the next Steven Slater?

Doubtless, Slater has been off-kilter for a while, having indicated that he’s been thinking about doing something crazy (like this stunt) for most of his career, which is closing in on a quarter of a century. While there are plenty of disgruntled and annoyed flight attendants out there – as there are disgruntled and annoyed people in any profession – this is the first time one of them has a deployed a safety device that could double as a weapon. Most have found ways to cope with the irritations that come with the contemporary flying workplace, and it seems safe to assume that Slater probably hasn’t inspired further in-flight shenanigans.

The implications of having to pay to check your bags are probably being felt in the cabin, but they don’t seem likely to inspire further (alleged) criminal mischief and reckless endangerment. As long as the airlines keep making money of these policies, and it appears likely they will, expect them to stick around for a while. Let’s face it: airlines need the cash. Unless there’s a direct connection between making money and creating another Steven Slater, you’ll have to keep ponying up a few bucks to check extra luggage.

JetBlue memo: Steven Slater’s slide “as dangerous as a gun”

by Tom Johansmeyer on


The Associated Press has unearthed an internal JetBlue memo, and it’s pretty clear that the airline doesn’t view disgruntled flight attendant Steven Slater as a hero. In fact, JetBlue‘s memo has characterized his actions as inexcusable.

Loved because he left his job in grand fashion – despite the fact that “aviation is in his blood” and he wants the gig back – the emerging reality suggests that Slater really put himself and other people at risk of injury or worse.

Even if Slater was reacting to an uncooperative passenger, JetBlue isn’t interested in his excuses. The company’s chief operating officer, Rob Maruster, wrote in the memo, “If Mr. Slater’s story proves to be accurate, and even if there was a precipitating event that motivated his behavior, that still doesn’t excuse his actions.”

And, let’s not forget that Slater was arrested and charged with criminal mischief, reckless endangerment and trespassing. He entered a plea of “not guilty” and is out on $2,500 bail. According to a report by MyFoxNY, he faces felony charges.

Perhaps the most frightening part of the Slater saga – aside from the fact that a person whose “primary job is safety,” as the flight attendants like to say, lost his mind in something that’s nowhere near a crisis situation – is that he could have injured or killed somebody.The fact that he deployed an emergency slide, notes the memo, is “the most distressing aspect” of the situation. According to The Associated Press report:

“Slides deploy extremely quickly, with enough force to kill a person,” the letter to employees read. “Slides can be as dangerous as a gun.”

Maruster added that the “episode does not reflect the professional and sincere service you deliver to our customers every day.”

Fortunately, when he used this “gun,” Slater also had a beer in his hand. This guy might be getting the “hero” treatment by working folks everywhere, but here’s the question nobody seems to be asking: would you want to rely on him where you work?