'I'd had a sip or two': JetBlue attendant Steven Slater admits he'd had a drink before sliding down emergency shute

Mike Gallagher

Oct 27, 2010 - 12:51

Oct 27, 2010 - 13:01

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'I'd had a sip or two': JetBlue attendant Steven Slater admits he'd had a drink before sliding down emergency shute

Former JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater has spoken out about his much publicised slide off his job and revealed what may have been behind his outburst.

Slater told CNN's Larry King yesterday that 'a perfect storm of bad manners' triggered his eruption.

Despite being a recovering alcoholic and grabbing cans of beer before exiting the Pittsburgh to New York flight, Slater denied that he was drunk.

'I am a recovering alcoholic. I don't think you end up in a substance abuse programme or alcohol court without some purpose', he said.

But he admitted that he wasn't totally booze free that day saying, 'I will admit I have accepted responsibility for the fact I did have a sip or two. I was in no way intoxicated at the time of the incident. This was just the end of the rope'.

Slater managed to avoid jail time over the August incident after pleading guilty to two counts of attempted criminal mischief and reaching a deal with prosecutors.

The former flight attendant joked: 'I don't look good in horizontal stripes', but quickly added: 'I did accept accountability and I've made my apologies.'

Former JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater appears on Larry King Live.

Owning up: Slater admitted that despite being a recovering alcoholic that he did have 'a sip or two' on the fateful day

In his first in depth interview, Slater told King: 'It was a stressful, rushed (plane) full of harried carriers... and a harried crew'.

'I was angry at all of it. I call it the perfect storm of bad manners that created this situation, including my own.'

Slater will have to enter a year long mental health program which includes treatment for substance abuse and take prescribed medications.

He will also have to pay a $10,000 fine to JetBlue for the cost of repairing or replacing the chute that he infamously pulled to escape out of.

Having only eaed $9,700 last year after taking time off to care for his sick mother, the fine is a steep cost according to his publicist Howard Bragman.

But Slater said he's happy with the outcome having escaped jail time and a long trial.

'I don't look very good in horizontal stripes', he joked.

The son of an American Airlines pilot and flight attendant, Slater said he was shocked by the media frenzy but found humour in some of the stories and online postings about him.

'It's surreal, it's very strange', he said. 'I kind of remind myself that (Steven Slater) has been a two-dimensional media, Inteet-created figure. This is my chance to become a little more three-dimensional', he said.

Slater said he thought 'I'm free' as he jumped out of the Jet Blue aircraft's emergency slide.

The ex-air steward has revealed how he saw the sunlight beaming through the aircraft window and decided to make his escape.

After grabbing two beers from the galley he deployed the inflatable chute and slid down to the tarmac.

'I was in a state of pure rage and anger. I also had this moment of complete serenity and clarity when it occurred to me that I didn't need to do this any more,' he said.

'I saw this golden ray of sunshine through this little porthole and I thought to myself, "My car's just across that ramp, it's a beautiful beach day and I think it's time to go and that's a quick way to do it"'.

'I was just thinking "I'm free, I'm finally free". It was so fast, it was so quick, but I got to the bottom and there was this wonderful warm sunlight that was out there.

'I felt like a weight was off my shoulders. I felt I was back in control of my own life.'

The ex-JetBlue worker confessed that he lost his rag following a row with a female passenger over baggage.

Before the flight left Pittsburgh for New York, Slater claims the woman was trying to squeeze a 10lb bag into a 5lb space in one of the aircraft's overhead compartments.

He cut his head as he tried to help the passenger and eventually told her she would have to check the bag.

'When we did get to the actual gate and the jetway was brought to the aircraft, that's when the passenger with the large bag - which we had had to check - came to the front door and began to argue about where she could collect the baggage and why wasn't it available there,' he said.

'I explained that it could be received at the carousel. Apparently that wasn't good enough because I did receive that verbal tirade. There were some names used towards me.

'At that time I had the microphone in my hand. I tued into the cockpit to sort of compose myself and failed.

'That's when I said, "To those that have been respectful I appreciate it. However, to the passenger who called me a mother-so and so, here's to you. It's been 20 years and I'm done".'

It's not all bad news for Slater as he's set to cash in on his story having signed with a book agent at the prestigious William Morris agency.

Slater will work with a co-writer on his story, detailing his 20 years in the travel business. The book's provisional title is Cabin Pressure.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1324230/JetBlue-attendant-Steven-Slater-admits-hed-drink-sliding-emergency-shute.html#ixzz13axRBW3Z