Thaindian News

Melbourne, Aug 11 (ANI): The mother of a flight attendant who reportedly called a passenger a “f*cking assh**e” over his plane’s public address system before grabbing two beers and exiting on an emergency slide has defended her son’s actions.

Diane Slater said that her son’s outburst was justified considering the circumstances.

“I can understand why he snapped. I would have snapped too,” News.com.au quoted US’s ABC as saying.

“I think he just had a very small meltdown, and I think he deserved to be able to have that meltdown, if you saw the egg on his head here where he got smacked.

“I also don’t think that people who are in the service industry should be abused by anybody, whether it be a passenger or a family, anybody,” she added.

Slater’s attorney, Howard Turman, said his client had been drawn into a fight between two female passengers over space in the overhead bins as the Pittsburgh-to-New York flight was awaiting takeoff.

After JetBlue Flight 1052 landed at Kennedy Airport in New York, one of the women who had been asked to gate-check her bag was reportedly furious that it wasn’t immediately available.

Apparently the woman told Slater to “f*** off” during the exchange.

Slater then reportedly grabbed two beers from the galley and popped the lever for the airliner’s inflatable chute and slid down it onto the tarmac outside the terminal door.

“Those of you who have shown dignity and respect these last 20 years, thanks for a great ride,’ Slater said over the plane’s loudspeaker, according to prosecutors.

However, law enforcement sources have a different version of events. Sources said Slater got on the public-address system and launched into a tirade, screaming: “To the f***ing assh**e that told me to f*** off, it’s been a good 28 years!” (ANI)