Thursday, September 9th, 2010

JetBlue usually receives very positive press regarding its cheap airplane tickets and cheap vacation packages. Since August when one of its flight attendant cursed out a passenger over the loud speaker and then exited his plane by sliding down a plane’s emergency chute with a beer, attention has been centered largely on this flight attendant. It was announced Tuesday that Steven Slater has agreed to undergo a mental health evaluation in hopes of avoiding a jail sentence in a possible plea deal.

Attorneys for the defense and prosecution have acknowledged that a deal is being discussed. Depending on the results of Slater’s mental health evaluation, he could qualify for an alternative sentencing program, meaning he could be sentenced to community service instead of jail.

Slater’s willingness to undergo a mental health evaluation indicates he is taking the criminal charges against him more seriously now than in the past, according to the Queens District Attorney. Slater has been out spoken since the incident. Public opinion has been largely on his side with hundreds of thousands of online fans supporting him for standing up in the face of inhospitable airline travel.

According to the District Attorney, the public should take Slater’s outburst on August 9th more seriously given that the emergency slide cost $25,000 to repair and the plane was taken out of service afterwards, resulting in passenger delays.
JetBlue has commented that triggering emergency slides is dangerous since their deployment comes with a potentially deadly amount of force.
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