JetBlue renegade FA wants his job back
 

JetBlue renegade Steven Slater lived out quitting dream - and now he wants his job back

Sure hire him back. Give him a job repacking escape slide packs:cool:

This guy doesn't need to be around aviation. He is a hazard to himself and others. If that slide had injured a ramp worker when it deployed, would everyone still be cheering him on?

Not on my flight.

No way......

Good luck with that bra....

I hope he gets it back.

Not a chance. No need for someone in a sealed metal tube who can't keep his head enough to have a rational anger response.

Its kind of crazy, funny and obscure, to see how much support the guy got by quitting and radically giving up.

A threshold that many of us at one time or another have contemplated crossing. (Just by dealing with our companies alone) not to mention, FED's, PAX, ETC.

But now he's to to go back to work?

Cheers

I think the thing he forgot was F/As are now licensed by the FAA. Hopefully, his was suspended. He violated several FARs the primary one being he left the jet while passengers were still aboard.

No license, no F/A job anywhere. Hope the Feds make it stick.

No to mention the federal laws he more than likely violated.

The paths that lead to jobs in aviation, and those that lead to engineering your own public freak-out on your way to 7.5 minutes of fame are mutually exclusive.

Giving that guy his job back would be a slap in the face to every professional flight attendant in the industry: those that manage to handle actual conflicts gracefully. And it would be a big "high-five" to every unprofessional flight attendant, those that create conflicts where they don't exist. The people that are unwittingly coming to his rescue are doing it because they think his behavior is a symptom of the problems of air travel. On closer examination, he is one of the problems of air travel.

As a separate note, I was talking just yesterday with the Captain about the way the FAA treated the pilots of NW188. What an insult it would be to those guys, professional people that made one error along a good career, but happened to get caught in the middle of a FAA/media lynch mob, to see this guy return to work.

He misplanned his blaze of glory, and he's getting burned. So be it.

Failure of crewmember to complete duties:
 

Seniority
 

I assume FA's have a seniority number and that allows them to bid the "good" trips. Of course he want's his job back. After 20 (or 28) years, you don't want to start over at the bottom, whether it be airlines or the BK lounge.

I'm not sure a valid ID gives you ramp access, if your duties don't require it. I also don't know every reg that applies to F/A's, under their licensing requirements. I also don't think you would enter any crewmemeber problems in the aircraft's logbook.

Overall, "Steve" failed. Big.

Without getting into security specifics, Post 9/11, a company ID isn't enough to have ramp access.

He doesn't have 28 years at JetBlue, that's for sure (nobody does). F/A's on yesterday's flight (who managed not to freak out, or blow any slides) say he was Delta before. Not sure why he's no longer with us, or if he ever was, but one thing his for sure: his twenty years are with more than one airline.

No way this guy should get a job back in aviation in this country. He has proven his poor judgement, his lack of self-control, and his complete disregard for other's safety. That he's much celebrated just shows how much is wrong with so many people. At first I laughed at the story too. An uptight queen getting in a catfight with a passenger and then bolting out the door via a deployed slide with an absconded beer to boot. Hilarious images! Upon reflection it's a sad story not a funny one. Good riddance and enjoy your short lived fifteen minutes of notoriety.

Flight attendants are not normally authorized ramp access. Saw one arrested in ORD who went down for a quick smoke. Ended up in handcuffs.

You are correct. Pilots don't even have ramp access unless it is the aircraft's footprint for the purposes of completing an exterior preflight or proceeding directly to operations. Therefore, this FA broke Federal law. If the US attorney files charges, he will be convicted. If convicted, the judge will probably agree with no jail time, but he will forever be a convicted felon. As such, no more access to the secure areas of an airport. So no more jobs in aviation. And the best part...no more voting.

Carl

Thank God this thread doesn't have anyone supporting this show-boating queen (I know...redundant description). This d'bag is loving the notoriety!

At first I thought, "Classic!!"...but really, flight attendants have to deal with difficult passengers all the time, that's part of the job! What would this tool have done in a REAL difficult situation? (Like a Richard Reid or crash scenario)

And somebody mentioned here already what I've been thinking...what if a ramper was standing under the slide? This ass-clown could have easily killed somebody just because he wanted to get famous!! If you misinterpret something in the cockpit and make an honest mistake, you run the very real risk of losing your job/license/money/liberty/life, yet some people are actually defending a guy who doesn't care about professionalism or safety...the FAA and JetBlue need to throw the book at this idiot! If they don't, it really is a slap in the face to every professional flight attendant I've ever worked with.

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

Priceless!

water slide parks and beer commercials
 

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"... :rolleyes:

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.

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!:D

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.