You guys are way too harsh on Slater. His 'exit' from the industry was an epic win not just for himself, but for everyone who's ever been pushed too far.

No Federal laws have been broken. He's busted FARs, New York laws, and company policies. The FAR bust will get him certificate action, the company policy bust will keep him off the payroll, The only criminal complaint comes from the State of NY- Trespass and Reckless Endangerment. (And Trespass is the only one that should stick - pay your fine and move on.)
Q: How do you make sure a rampie doesn't get hurt when deploying a slide? A: You look through the window in the door, per SOP.

Its understandable that after the heat of the moment he may regret his actions - being a FA seems to have been all he's ever done, the only career hes ever known. But going down the slide was a one way ticket.

And really he should be set for life. The book deal alone should easily make him a couple mil. Then a stint on the Apprentice, maybe a E! or Travel channel show on flying, not to mention being The Daily Show's Senior Airline and (un)Employment Correspondent, For Life!

 

Of course, the 4,300 pilots that underwent rehab should be credited for getting treated for the disease, so we can set them aside.

As far as the pilots that actually endangered cockpits by showing up to work drunk, I don't think it's very different, and it's potentially more criminal. We can't advocate high levels of professionalism, and blindly protect those who transgress what should be sacred in our profession. So I think you have to address these issues case-by-case, with an open (but critical) mind. Some the pilots busted were out of their minds, and are nowehere near a commercial cockpit as a result. A few were caught in the difference between regulations of different countries, or flirting with some of the limits of our own regulations. IOW, they might have thought they were in compliance, but they don't walk around with breathalizers to check. I think these are the cases where some were rehabilitated, as every case revolves on its' own merits, ad as each person is entitled to due process.

So is Slater.

It's just that his actions don't appear to put him anywhere near the borderline, or the "rehab" category. Surely, he needs some help to function well in society, and also for his own welfare. But my opinion is that we don't need that help to be directed towards getting him back to his F/A job.

 

Your first two sentences contradict each other. FARs, as you refer to them, come under Title 49 of the U.S. Code - which is federal law passed by Congress.

You are kidding, right? Those windows in the door are small and are there primarily for flight attendants to make an assessment about the safety of conditions outside in that immediate area, especially possible fire, during an evacuation. You cannot see everything outside.

Also, just because no one got hurt, that means it is ok? Does that mean that every flight that did not end up as a smoking hole in the ground was safe?

Oh yeah, that's great. Make this guy out to be some sort of hero. He is not, by a long shot.

Don't get me wrong - I feel sorry for the guy, but IMO, he "crossed the line".

 

Aren't Employee Assistance Programs established to primarily get someone help BEFORE getting into trouble?
Slater threw a very public cissy-fit, left his safety position on the aircraft (stealing company property on the way) and busts federal laws while endangering ground crews and passengers (leaving an unguarded open emergency exit), and NOW he wants to hide behind programs designed to help people with real problems?

I'd rather see Tim Martins reinstated before this guy!

 

Yeah, I was less than perfectly clear. I was trying to say busting a FAR is not a criminal offense(and thank God for that.) You might get your license suspended or even permanently revoked, but you won't do time or have any criminal record.

As far as popping the slide, was it the safest thing he could have done? No. Was it criminally reckless? I don't think so. Its not an either or thing - he can be less than perfectly safe, without crossing into criminal conduct. If he looked out the window to check then he did not act without regard for the safety of others. So props to the guy with the head injury.

Should he return to FAdom? No. I understand and empathize with his desire to. But no. He's done. Stick a fork in him. Move on. There are (much) better opportunities for him elsewhere.

I'd guess that people view his 'heroism' in direct proportional to how they themselves have been treated by their jobs. If you're miserable where you are(or ever have been) you probably think "Yeah, that guy has a brass pair. I wish I could just walk off like he did." If you have been fortunate enough to have never been in that kind of situation, you've probably got a lot less sympathy for him.

I don't feel sorry for him at all. He manned up, made a decision and executed with style. He 'crossed the line' eyes wide open. I'm only disappointed he asked for his job back.

 

I thought it was funny. I'm a fan of funny. He can still do his job and apparently the public applauds him for it. Better than the average drone attitude most have.

 

I'm not so sure about that. This man chose to stop doing his job in the middle of it and satisfy his own needs before completing his duties, whether that be to seek attention in a spectacular manner or act like a spoiled child due to inability to deal with stress. That showed some pretty poor decisionmaking or an inability to deal with the stresses of the job.

The 'drone attitude' response would have been something that didn't involve a freakout that probably scared the hell out of a lot of passengers and may have created the impression that FAs are the next postal workers. I am willing to bet that several other FAs dealt with the same escalating situation on their own flights that day; but we will never know, because they have the 'drone attitude' and they handled it as if it were a depressingly routine part of the job- which it is. Outrageous actions on the part of passengers does not justify outrageous behavior from the crew. It requires a higher level of professionalism.

If I were on that flight deck, I would much rather have a bored, indifferent FA running the back end than someone who thinks self-expression is more important than his duties.

 

You nailed it.

Oh, and don't forget Toilet's point of reference. He thinks he can make TSA "heads roll" when they don't please him...but he likes funny!

 

You're forgetting the third group; those who HAVE been in a similar situation, but acted with calm professionalism rather than throw a temper tantrum. That group has zero sympathy for him, I would suspect.

 

As the federal law that was broken. It is a federal offence to tamper with safety equipment. when he blew the slide with out an emergency it became federal.