How NOT to handle a difficult customer
Jet Blue flight attendant Steven Slater gave us all a great demonstration of how to NOT handle a difficult customer on Monday when he fled the plane by sliding down an emergency escape chute.
According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, Slater got into an argument with a passenger while the passenger attempted to remove a bag from the overhead compartment while the arriving plane was still taxiing. This confrontation escalated to the point where Slater decided vent his frustration over the plane's PA system and cuss out the passenger. He then activated the plane's emergency chute, grabbed two beers, and fled the plane. Slater was later arrested at his home in Queens, New York for criminal mischief and reckless endangerment.
I wasn't on the plane, but let's assume for a moment that this passenger was completely in the wrong. Slater's horrible attempt at addressing the situation resulted in Slater being arrested, him receiving national media attention for being an idiot, and will likely cost him his job. Yeah, you sure showed him!