Flight attendant taps into worker fantasy: walking out on job that’s more prison than passion

Flight attendant’s grand exit is a dream for some

NEW YORK — Defying the rules, telling people off and walking off a job isn’t usually a launching pad for public admiration. But few have fulfilled that particular working man’s fantasy in such grand fashion as JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater.

He left his job via the plane’s emergency chute, beer in hand, after a flight from Pittsburgh to New York City earlier in the week.

Human resource officials caution that such dramatic exits may not be good career moves.

But Slater’s sudden walkoff has rekindled memories of workers’ liberation.

Samuel Rodela of Dallas says he never regretted his profanity-laced exit. And Chris Carter of Knoxville, Tenn., says that walking off of at least 20 jobs has allowed him to keep his pride.