Reaction to JetBlue Attendant "Losing It" by:Steve Robinson
JetBlue reputation as one of the premier low cost airlines who offer really cheap
airplane tickets as well as cheap vacation packages took a hit in some circles this week. Until Monday its flight attendants were generally thought highly of, though many are encouraged to express a somewhat quirky sense of humor. Depending on your point of view, some travelers see JetBlue's flight attendant who exited a parked plane via an inflatable slide after telling an out of control passenger to "f--- off" as a hero while others see his actions as criminal.
Several Facebook pages have been set up in tribute to Steve Slater, where many have expressed support for him walking off the job after being cursed and berated by an unreasonable passenger who had previously accidentally hit him in the head with luggage.
While no one is excusing this misbehaving passenger, many question the wisdom of Slater's decision to curse the woman out over the plane's loud speaker and then trigger an inflatable slide to get away from her.
Slater was reported to have ended his curse laden speech saying "I've had it" which is reminiscent of a news anchor in the movie "Network" where the main character starts screaming out of his window "I am fed up and I will not take it anymore."
Columnists explained Slater's actions in part by noting that frustration has been building across the country as employees are forced to take pay cuts at the same time their workloads have been significantly added onto because they have to take on the responsibilities of laid off co-workers.
Over the last five years flight attendants have been facing all of these pressures and more. They have to deal daily with upset passengers who resent paying fees for what used to be free when flying. Security precautions have made their jobs more difficult. And yet there has been no let up in the demand for flight attendants to help in lightning quick plane turnarounds.
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