JetBlue flight attendant incident

The JetBlue flight attendant incident occurred after JetBlue Flight 1052, from Pittsburgh to New York City on August 9, 2010, had landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport. A veteran flight attendant announced over the plane's public address system that he had been abused by a passenger and was quitting his job. He then grabbed and drank two beers and exited the plane by deploying the evacuation slide and sliding down it. The flight attendant claimed to have been injured by a passenger when he instructed her to sit down. His account of the event was not corroborated by others who claimed he hip-checked the woman.

Incident

The flight attendant claimed that as JetBlue Flight 1052 taxied to a stop, a passenger stood up too early to retrieve her bag from the overhead compartment. She had been instructed repeatedly to remain seated. Despite this, he alleged, the passenger continued to remove the bag, and in doing so, she hit him in the head with the bag. When asked for an apology, the passenger allegedly responded with profanity. Port Authority Police concluded the flight attendant's initial account of a confrontation was fabricated. As early as August 13, investigators stated none of the dozens of passengers interviewed about the incident had corroborated his account.

A passenger reported that the flight attendant went on the plane's public address system and used his own profanities. He stated "I've been in this business 20 years. And that's it, I'm done." He then activated the emergency inflatable slide, exited the plane, and threw his tie on the tarmac before calmly walking to his Jeep.

Later that day, the flight attendant was arrested and charged with criminal mischief, reckless endangerment, and criminal trespass, to which he pleaded not guilty.

The district attorney pursuing the case said the flight attendant's actions were serious and could have killed or grievously injured anyone below the inflatable plastic chute. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which certifies flight attendants, also investigated the incident. "Clearly, you're not supposed to pop the slides unless there's an emergency in the aircraft", said FAA spokesman Les Dorr. "We're continuing to investigate circumstances as well as any violations that may have occurred."

Reversing his original declaration ("I'm done."), the flight attendant indicated that he had not resigned, and sought to continue his employment by JetBlue. On August 12, he announced through his attorney that he would seek to return. At some point prior to September 5, the flight attendant formally resigned from JetBlue, although it is disputed if he was terminated by JetBlue prior to this.

Flight attendant's account of the events

The flight attendant's attorney has said that at the beginning of the flight, two female passengers had argued over the allocated bag space in the overhead bin. Once the plane landed, the dispute flared again when one of the women was told that a bag she had checked at the gate would not be immediately available. She then began to curse at the flight attendant. According to a Port Authority police officer quoted by the Wall Street Journal, no passenger or other crew member has corroborated this account.