Modern Vespa

If you haven't heard of Steven Slater, Google him on Google news.

I just love how this Hong Kong news outfit covered his story, complete with an animated re-enactment. I don't speak Cantonese, but I don't need to either in order to get the gist of it. I love how they gave him a BF in pajamas!

As a bonus, here's the same outfit covering the Tiger Woods infidelity affair!!!

OMG you just made my day

I love how he closes the door like the camera crew was really there and about to walk in.

I even read about this story here on the Australian newpaper web sites.

I think this is bloody awesome!!


Surely though, he was intending to quit or leave the company because why would you just do that on a whim????


Pretty cool though.

Well I am guessing he is a fussy queen that had a bad day, but kuddos to him for handling it this way rather than pulling a gun and starting to shoot. We all have a little of "take this job and shove it" in us so what more can you say?

If you had to deal with passengers every day, you may do it on a whim.

I was on a flight into LA once and every time we came to a stop (before getting anywhere near a gate) half the plane would jump up and start pulling luggage out and we'd have to wait while it was all put away. After the 3rd or 4th time the flight attendant got on the pa and said "FFS people! Sit Down!"

Heh, I referred to him as my hero several times earlier today. My fave part is that he grabbed a beer before exiting.

My second "take this job and shove it" hero of the week is Jenny, the "HPOA" would-be broker, who also quit her job yesterday:
http://thechive.com/2010/08/10/girl-quits-her-job-on-dry-erase-board-emails-entire-office-33-photos/

Here's to the ones that do it with style!

Haven't MANY of us thought about this during a Walter Mitty fantasy??? I can't believe they charged him with federal felonies - surely when things calm down the charges will be dismissed.

As for the broad who hit him in the head with her suitcase: you never know when you'll be the last straw on someone's camel. You are so lucky he didn't do a dance on YOUR noggin before he slid away to freedom.

Can't we all just get along???

Oooo, sorry Eric:
http://bit.ly/a8SkCH

But... but... I want it to be true. Crap. Fished in!

Don't shoot the messenger..

http://gawker.com/5609201/cranky-earth-flight-attendant-was-banging-his-boyfriend-when-the-cops-showed-up?skyline=true&s=i

None of that in any way diminishes what he did on the flight.

Eh, I could care less that he's gay or straight. He's still my hero and I still find the animated re-enactment of him being greeted by his PJ-clad boyfriend hilarious.

And relax, I'm not going to shoot you. But I may just grab a beer and jump down a slide.

Hmm. A dood who has a history of substance and alcohol abuse grabs booze on his way out?

I dunno. It seems good he flipped while the plane was on the ground, not at 30,000 feet...

you can't get mad at anyone who resigns with a cake!
http://boingboing.net/2009/03/15/resignation-letter-o.html

It's a nice way to go, but the rest of us are fucked when we have to pay increased fares to cover the $50,000 cost of repacking the slide...

Alright, that's it! I've had it with all of you and your silly scooters! So long, suckers!

Not really.

You could just slam on the brakes...accomplishes a couple things:

Great graphic example of inertia and reminds why you need to stay seated and buckled in until a complete stop

...that's why I wait until that little light (you know the buckle...unbuckle light) goes off.

Yup. The dood f-d everyone else on that flight, as well as those waiting for the flight on the other end, as well as those who had their flights delayed or canceled due the this plane being put out of service and obstructing other planes.

So great. One selfish act - yeah it was messed up that he got hit in the head - and he f-d over who knows how many other people, all for his personal drama.

Awesome.

UK paper headline

I have to agree. Oh, the drama.
Professional courtesy would demanded a more dignified exit without involving and inconveniencing a lot of innocent people.

At least some of the traveling louts he had to deal with may get the message about their behavior. But I seriously doubt it.

I also agree. The rant I have no problem with. The slide was way out of line and inconvenienced 100s and possibly 1000s of people. As a frequent traveller, i can tell u it's hard enough without stupid things making it harder. He's not my hero.

Best
Miguel

He's not my "hero" either, but you gotta love those videos. The Tiger video, especially.

Proper Method for Exiting Aircraft

It seems to be going around:

I was flying from Denver to Vancouver on July 12th. One of the overhead bins had a broken latch. The pilot walked back, braced his leg against the seat, ripped the door off of its hinges, handed to the gate agent and said "call maintenance". Thirty+ minutes later, the maintenance guy ripped the pilot a "new one", taped the door in place, put on an IN-OP sticker and we were on our way.

I really thought twice about letting someone with such impulse control fly me at 30,000 ft for 1,200 miles, but business needs won out.

Both stories are fun to hear, but are really a sign of the general discontent in the airline business and our culture in general. It just isn't any fun up there any more. I wish I could follow John Madden's lead on travel, but it just won't work for me.

Lucky for that idiot there wasn't a panic and possible stampede on the plane when people saw that emergency exit open.
Some may not have known what was going on and thought there was a real incident - whether terror related or otherwise.

When you board a flight you are at the mercy of those working the flight. You want to know that you can trust them and they will do whatever they can to keep you safe. Pretty much this dope is about the last person you want working your flight.

Yes, this guy's a selfish jerk. Calling him a "hero" is mostly facetious. No one wants to condone or encourage others to follow in his footsteps. It would be anarchy! The world is full of thoughtless people whose actions are ultimately a burden to everyone else.

That doesn't make the story of what Slater did in the moment any less entertaining. It's much better than, "After the passengers exited the plane, he went home and drafted his letter of resignation." Most of us can all relate to his frustration at the moment because we've had to deal with jerks like the passenger who refused to follow simple instructions. People like that are a burden to the rest of us every day and they constantly get away with it. Slater cracked and did something impulsive and ridiculous, the kind of thing a lot of people probably fantasize doing every time they choose to be civil and responsible when confronted with a jackass like the passenger.

That's not a justification or an excuse. Slater behaved poorly and irresponsibly. He inconvenienced many people. Fine.

But that he did it, and how he did it: Freakin' hilarious!

If anyone you loved was on that flight you wouldn't think so.

Most of the people I love would have been texting me something along the lines of: "OMG, you will not believe what this flight attendant just did! AWESOME." (Actually, few of the passengers on the plane realized at the time that Slater had taken the slide. NY Daily News reports passengers were "bemused.")

Slater faces up to seven years in jail. He'll be held responsible for what he did. His life is now an open book with all sorts of private information already exposed all over the web.

I'm not trying to defend Slater or convince anyone else of the entertainment value of this story. If you don't see it that way, I understand. My point is simply that the rest of us may recognize all the negatives about this guy and his actions while still deriving some humor, joy or sense of vindication from the story itself. Millions of overworked Americans enduring a tough recession, salary freezes, pay cuts, cuts in benefits and other workplace frustrations had our vicarious FU job quitting/telling off a rude person fantasies fulfilled.

I think this "gentleman" will have a difficult time getting any job. He has 20 years in the airline steward industry and I cannot think of an airline that is willing to hire him. His complete disregard for the safety of the passengers on the plane is ridiculous.

I was trying to think what they had to do to get the planed to the jetway and back into service and how many people miss flights as a result of this. Planes are typically running for 18 hours or more per day with the crew changing through-out the day.

Its a felony to play with the smoke detector in the bathroom, what felonies will he be convicted of? This is a federal crime as far as I know.

I was also bummed when I found out it was fake... Nonetheless, I can't wait to see the bunch of copycats who will try to "one-up" her and do crazy stuff to quit their jobs..

I feel responsible for derailing this into nerd safety territory. Sorry.

I think what he did was cool as shit. Honest. It took nuts. And fuck the idiot (and idiots) who stand up and try to beat everyone to the door and inconvenience everyone else because they think they're more important.

I wish pilots could tap the brakes from time to time when taxiing and some idiot pulls this, but then they'd sue the airlines.

people are selfish jerks.

And yes he's going to get raked over the coals, and yes it did inconvenience others.

But it was still cool as shit. Maybe not the most thought-through idea in the world but still a great way to quit.

I've been on so many flights home from the Caribbean,
This person getting up to get their luggage too early is way too common.

I think it's justified that the guy quit the way he did,
Especially after getting hit in the head.

Some passengers are just way too arrogant,
Society just can't teach good manners anymore.

Everybody looses their shit sometimes, this guy just took it to the extreme.
What I don't like is the media making a big deal about it. There are way too many important things to report in the world today.

I don't give a shit if some people were inconvenienced.
I'm glad to see someone strike a blow against self-entitled people.
I work for a pile of them and just want to smack them sometimes.

Learn some manners and how to treat other people and this shit would not have to happen. It's not From Many One anymore, it's Me First.

Too bad we cannot make an example of the arrogent uncivil passanger.
I'm sure she would claim it was all his fault. No one ever admits they fucked up.

What if in his glee to escape the plane, the slide hits someone on the ground. Is that acceptable behavior? Would it have been cool then?

Like I said earlier, I had no problem with the rant on the microphone, its the slide I had a problem with. It was irresponsible, juvenile, reckless, potentially dangerous, expensive, and disrespectful to all the other people that had nothing to do with it that he inconvenienced. If he was so sick of the job, quit and go do something else but do it with dignity and respect and move on. Just my opinion. I'm done.

Best
Miguel

If you are looking for polite people with good manners-- I suggest you stay away from the airport.

I traveled at least once a month for 3 years and then every week for 15 months. The number of rude, pushy, arrogant, self-focused people cannot be exceeded at any other place. I don't know all the details of this flight but I am sure it was like most of my flights. When you get the plane on the ground, people are just waiting to pop-up like toast when the "bong" of the seat belt light happens when you roll up to the jetway/gate.

This meant that the entire aisle on the entire plane was full of harried travelers clamoring to get their overhead luggage from 6 bins back of their seat. This also means all of the air crew is trying to keep you in your seat until they are completely at the gate and door is open. They put up with these "customers" everyday, every flight.

I am really glad I don't travel anymore.

But it didn't hit anyone. I don't live in the world of "what ifs." If I did I'd never get outside my house - what if I wreck? What if someone hits me? What if someone breaks in when I am gone, etc etc.

The slide didn't hit anyone.

I already stated that it wasn't the best idea and it cost passengers time, and perhaps even money, but it didn't hit anyone.

What if you quit your job and your boss takes it personally and kills himself because he's not fully stable?

What if what if what if....what if Santa is real, what if Jesus comes back tomorrow...don't have time for that.

He truly is my hero. 15 years of customer service left me with very little patience for BS. If this act causes even a small percentage of travelers to curb their senseless & selfish behavior then it will make up for any inconvenience caused to the passengers on that flight. They have an awesome first hand story to tell around the water cooler/at the bar! Personally, I never intend to fly again until I'm allowed to carry a gallon of water on board while filing my nails

I wonder if the rude woman who got on this guy's last remaining nerve is going to get in any trouble. She deserves it.