A rebel flight attendant who told off passengers and grabbed a beer as he made an escape from a US aircraft via the emergency chute has been charged by police.
38-year-old Steven Slater appeared in court in New York yesterday on charges of reckless endangerment, criminal mischief and criminal trespass.
He was released on $2,500 (€1,923) bail and ordered to return to court on 7 September. He faces up to seven years in prison if convicted on all counts.
Mr Slater was working a Jet Blue flight from Pittsburgh to New York that had just landed when he became involved in a row with a passenger.
The flight attendant told passengers to remain seated upon landing. But when a passenger started collecting belongings from the overhead bin, disregarding the instructions, Mr Slater tried to stop the passenger but was hit in the head by the luggage bin and became irate.
Mr Slater asked for an apology, but instead was cursed at by the passenger. The steward then grabbed the public address system and swore at all aboard the plane.
He activated the inflatable evacuation slide and took a beer from the galley before jumping on the slide.
He ran to his car in the employee parking lot and left the airport. Mr Slater was arrested shortly after at his home in Queens.
Mr Slater has since attracted significant support on Facebook.
No one was injured in the incident.
