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Flight Attendant on JetBlue loses his cool and exits plane

Unless you haven't watched the news or listened to the radio in the past couple of day, you won't be familiar with this story.  From news reports I've seen online and watched on television (see below), it appears the JetBlue flight attendant that lost his cool is becoming a hero of sorts. Online blogs are praising him for doing what some often only fantasize about.  Reports indicated a passenger failed to listen to the flight attendant's warnings about standing up and getting luggage from the overhead compartment before the appointed time. It's said the passenger was belligerent and an argument ensued between the two resulting in expletives being used. One report I saw mentioned the overhead compartment hit the flight attendant in the head (not sure of that as it's not mentioned on every report I've seen).   In any case, the flight attendant promptly gets on the intercom and calls the passenger an expletive in response and tells the entire cabin of passengers where they can go  (and it's not HOME).  The angry flight attendant grabs a couple of beers from the commissary cart, pulls the emergency chute and slides down to exit the plane. The flight attendant goes to his car in the employee parking lot and drives home.  (Needless to say, Federal officials were hot on his tail shortly after that and arrested him at his home.) 

Most of us know we can barely look at someone in the wrong way on airplanes since 9-11.  The word "bomb" no matter what context in which it's used could cause a person to be either arrested on the plane or when the flight was over.  Hence, the charges pending against this angry flight attendant could potentially land him in prison for 7 years. The airline has publicly stated on broadcasts that the flight attendant did not put any passengers in harm's way. My take is that this guy was extremely stressed and snapped (or was on the verge of quitting and saw this incident as an opportune time to make a grand exit). Does that excuse his unprofessional behavior? No, it certainly does not.  Employees in the service industry put up with more than the average person would ever stand. However, the public does expect (whether we consciously think it or not) a higher level of commitment from those individuals who have chosen service as their career. In the end, we are all human and imperfect.

I can only hope (and this is only my personal opinion) that the legal system gives the punishment to fit the "actual crime" that was committed. The flight attendant will most likely lose his job and get fined at the very least. However, we've all seen time after time where people (including celebrities) drive drunk and have the potential to actually kill. These people often get a slap on the wrist. This guy just had a very bad day and lost his cool.

Once again, not excusing the behavior - but please let the punishment fit the crime this time. 

My ten cents.




http://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/08/10/new.york.escape.chute.opened/index.html?hpt=C1

http://kdka.com/wireapnational/Flight.attendant.who.2.1852896.html
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