OK, I'm having a little bit of a hard time determining your position on Slater. Does "mostly disagree" sound about right?

 

Priceless!

 

There's a known quantity here. What next time, he discharges a fire extinguisher on an ugly passenger mid flight? Or, he uses a flotation raft to create a division between himself and customers?

I think he has a great future doing ad spots for water slide parks and beer commercials. For that mater he can become the spokesman for the entire "take this job and shove it" counter culter, but just not the "steward" gig anymore. The airline and the FAA have to stand firm.

If the airlines and the flight attendant community at large insist on portraying themselves as professionals "primarily concerned with customer safety" like we've heard on countless customer briefings, they need to also distance themselves from this steward's actions.

 

Well said. Unfortunately, it appears AFA is commiting itself, based on an incomplete set of facts, to defending Slater. Some of the points in the first article are valid on the surface, assuming he wasn't the instigator:

Google "AFA Slater...":

Steven Slater’s Freakout: The Stress Of Being A Flight Attendant - TIME NewsFeed

Flight Attendant Union to Slater -- We Got Your Back | TMZ.com

 

Surprised it hasn't been labeled as some sorta "act of terrorism yet"...

I heard there were some unfortunate things happening in his life leading up to this, but compromising safety and the image of his employer was certainly not the answer. I just hope there's no copy-cat types out there... good thing most RJs don't have slides (that I know of).

 

How is this any different than pilots that came to work drunk and went through some sort of program to get their license / job back? Sounds like it would be the equivalent of him taking an anger management course. Although I'd consider drinking and flying worse.

 

Are you referring to Capt. Prouse (NWA) who spent time in a Federal penitentiary? Or his F/E and F/O (who wasn't legally drunk) who were also charged and stripped of their licenses?
That one?

 

Drunk Pilots Have Path Back to Cockpit - WSJ.com

Drunk Pilots Have Path Back to Cockpit


By SUSAN CAREY

The United Airlines pilot arrested this week in London for alleged drinking before taking the controls of a 767 jetliner to Chicago might have his pilot licenses revoked and could spend two years in jail.
The pilot, Erwin Vermont Washington, also could wind up back in the cockpit, through a rehabilitation program run by the Air Line Pilots Association union and a long but well-trod route to redemption blazed by a number of pilots over the years.
UAL Corp.'s United declined to comment about the status of Mr. Washington, a 51-year-old aviator from Lakewood, Colo. The airline said it couldn't make him available. The union wouldn't comment on him, either. Mr. Washington faces a criminal proceeding in London next week that will determine whether he will receive a fine, jail time or both.
Instances of pilots operating airplanes under the influence of alcohol are rare. The National Transportation Safety Board says it knows of no U.S. airliner accident involving drunk pilots. The Federal Aviation Administration conducts 10,000 to 11,000 random alcohol tests on the nation's 100,000 commercial pilots each year.
So far this year, eight pilots have failed random or for-cause alcohol tests, the FAA says. Violations bring stiff consequences: medical certificates and pilot licenses are automatically revoked and pilots have to wait a year to reapply. Those who drink and fly can face a year or more in prison.
Last year, 13 pilots were caught violating alcohol rules. FAA policies prohibit pilots from drinking liquor for eight hours before taking the controls, and draw the line at a blood-alcohol level of 0.04% or higher. In the U.K., pilots can't have a blood-alcohol level of 0.02% or higher.
Drunk driving by motorists is a much larger problem. More than 1.46 million drivers were arrested in 2006 for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics. Many states impose fairly light penalties for first-time drunken driving, unless the accident causes injury or death, and drivers are able to return to the road soon.
Two of the most infamous pilots who flew under the influence resumed their careers after prison. Northwest Airlines Capt. Norman Lyle Prouse and Joseph Balzer, the flight engineer, along with the first officer, in 1990 piloted a 727 to Minneapolis from Fargo, N.D., following a drinking bout. After landing safely with 91 passengers aboard, all three failed Breathalyzer tests and were fired.
Mr. Prouse underwent in-patient substance-abuse treatment and served 16 months in prison. With the strong advocacy of ALPA, Mr. Prouse eventually was rehired by Northwest in a ground job, and later was allowed to return to the cockpit. He retired in 1998 as a 747 captain.
Mr. Balzer got sober and after a year in prison regained his flying licenses. He then built up his hours flying for small air-freight operators before landing a job at AMR Corp.'s American Airlines, where he has been for the past decade. His book, "Flying Drunk," a story of his battle for redemption, was published this summer.
In 1974, two airline pilots and ALPA's medical director created a drug and alcohol assistance program tailored to commercial pilots. The program, called Human Intervention Motivation Study, or HIMS, is funded by the FAA, administered by ALPA and has 32 participating airlines.
HIMS, which focuses on education, referral and advocacy, says 4,300 pilots have been successfully treated for drug or alcohol abuse and returned to the cockpit under close monitoring since the program began.
Dana Archibald, an American Eagle pilot for 21 years, is one of those success stories. Eleven years ago, he says, his alcohol addiction "dragged me down so far that I didn't show up for work." He says, "I didn't call in sick. I didn't show up." Finally, he took a look in the mirror, called his boss and said he needed help. The boss "stuck his neck out," and put Capt. Archibald on medical leave instead of terminating him.
The pilot then went through an inpatient addiction-recovery program and extensive outpatient counseling. Then he reapplied for his FAA medical certificate, which was suspended during treatment. After being judged ready to fly again by the FAA, rehabilitated pilots are monitored once a month for at least three years.
Now Capt. Archibald, in addition to his flying duties for Eagle, is the chairman of HIMS for the pilot union. He says 98% of the pilots who go through the program volunteer for it.
William Hendricks, a pilot and former accident investigator for the NTSB and FAA, says rehabilitation of addicted pilots has been a resounding success. He doesn't recall any incidents where a newly sober aviator caused a problem. But, he adds, "they only get one shot."

This is just something I dug up quickly, I guess their reporting could be wrong. It says all three crewmembers failed the test. Anyhow, I'm not sure what those 4,300 cases above entail, but I wouldn't be surprised if some of them involved failing drug/alcohol tests. I think I read somewhere that this particular FA is being charged for possible felonies? I just think once he gets his legal matters sorted out, there should be a path for him to come back.

 

I think you'll find it more truthful than not. Susan Carey of the WSJ is one of the better aviation reporters in the business.

 

The only place this guy should be is on some B rate reality tv show for drama queens. He's a safety hazard.