What A Way To Quit

I Guess by now everyone saw the story of the JetBlue flight attendant, Steven Slater, who got into an argument with a passenger when one of the passengers apparently got out of his seat to grab a bag from an overhead compartment. The flight attendant walked over to tell him he had to sit down. The two of them got into an argument and somehow the flight attendant got hit in the head with either the bag or the

compartment door on a flight just arriving in New York. He cursed the passenger, grabbed a beer from the galley and then deployed an emergency exit slide and fled the plane, yelling "I can't take this job anymore" as he left. What a way to have a breakdown and quit a job. The problem for that guy though is that he violated law by leaving through the emergency exit by activating the inflatable evacuation slide at service exit R1 and then launching himself off the plane that way.

About one half hour after he drove home, federal agents arrested him for doing it. He has been charged with reckless endangerment and criminal mischief. Though he acted irresponsibly in response to another of the endless line of crude, rude passengers who fly today and think they rule the airlines, quite a few of the passengers on the airplane applauded his response. This is an indication that the "everyone can fly because it is so cheap' milieu has created an uncomfortable flying situation not only for passengers who have to endure the stupidity of obnoxious fellow fliers, but also for flight crews.In some ways, when air prices were higher and the lowest element could not afford to fly, the atmosphere on airplanes was much more comfortable. To many passengers are spoiled, rude, arrogant and have a sense of entitlement when on board. They way in which they treat flight crews is more than infrequently disgraceful.

The old adage about the customer being always right is a false one in this age of "me" "me" "Me". Abusive customers are wrong to behave badly and should be told so and not be allowed the privilege of flight when out of control. The polite, respectful customer is always right is the correct adage. Great hospitality is a two-way street because a customer has as much to do with the success of the human interaction on board a flight as the server does. Servers are not servants. But one would not think so by the way some passengers address and act toward them.

Even though it is amusing to read , Slater was wrong to have the tantrum he had. But no matter how well flight attendants and pilot are trained to interact with fliers, they are human and can "lose it" like Slater did if pushed repeatedly by abusing fliers. Maybe the lesson from all this for all fliers is to try and be a little more polite and cooperative with those who provide service on board our flights.