Buh-Bye Mr. Slater

Well, I think it’s really ‘charming’ that this poor steward got his knickers in a twist. Jet Blue spared no expense in hiring the cool collected type that I know I’d want at the helm in an aeronautical emergency.

Oh–I’ve heard the testimony of other crew members as well as senior staff at Jet Blue Airlines sing the praises of Mr. Slater. They applauded his dedication and courtesy in the face of even the most demanding passenger insisting on that one more bag of peanuts. Almost unanimously they agreed that he had just been pushed too darned far.

Certainly opening the air chute and grabbing a beer on the slide down was a move of Finesse. It takes years of training (or a heck of a lot of trips to a water park) to get the hang of that maneuver….especially with a six pack in toe.

Okay, Has anyone ever seen footage–old film perhaps– of travel in the good old days (in this case, even into the early eighties)? The stewardesses (and damn, they liked being called that….) were actually attractive enough that I (hey, I’m a chick) would look twice. I mean the last crew on a flight that I flew domestically had women that looked like THEY could use a shave at the end of five hours. Boy, the good ‘ole days….Flight attendants ACTUALLY ATTENDED the flights. Hummmmmm, I mean— they would say ‘please’ and didn’t sneer indignantly at your request of sugar for your tepid cuppa.

The report is that this steward, Mr. Slater, was stressed. He demanded an apology from a passenger who cursed at him instead. Awwwww…sticks and stones. I mean he is paid for working the flight or is this some sort of occupational therapy that he’s volunteered for here…….”Stressed?” The flippin’ flight was from Pittsburgh to New York. You can barely drive from Midtown to Canal Street in rush hour in that same amount of time.

How ’bout a little of that Jet Blue spun sympathy for those of us NON UNION idiots forced to ante up for everything from Carry-On bags (That’s the ‘Spirit’) $25.00 for your overhead slot— to one piece of luggage. All for the privilege of flying hours in a seat that a yoga instructor couldn’t pose in without spraining something.

Yeah, yeah…I can understand how the guy must just be at his wits end restocking that lavatory with tissue—and those crossword/word search puzzles they all fiddle with in the galley as they eat meals compiled of anything edible that they didn’t have to part with…..are enough to make anyone violate Federal Safety Regulations.

While I find this resonant ‘esprit de corps’ quite lovely in theory, it doesn’t instill me with confidence nor does it convince me that THEY (let’s show a little solidarity….WRITE that on your facebook wall) are WELL TRAINED (much less psychologically tested) for the job at hand.

If this “steward” just can’t manage telling another passenger to ‘stay seated’—– THE PRESSURE, THE PRESSURE …..(‘yes, Virginia…some people actually DO remove their seatbelts when the sign IS STILL ON–Gasp), then by all means HE should do something more suited to his personality type. Maybe sand mosaics or artisan pot holders in a supportive environment.

‘bye, bye‘