An upset flight attendant at John F. Kennedy Airport activated his plane’s emergency chute, slid down then made his way to his car and drove home, according to an airport official.
JetBlue Flight 1052 from Pittsburgh was taxing to a stop at Terminal 5, Gate C around noon Monday when a passenger got up from his seat before the plane’s pilot deemed it safe to do so. The man was trying to remove his baggage from one of the plane’s overhead compartments when the flight attendant confronted the man and asked him to return to his seat, the official said. The passenger and the male flight attendant exchanged heated words. For reasons that are so far unclear, the flight attendant then activated the inflatable emergency slide, went down the chute and ran into the terminal, the official said.
The attendant then took a shuttle bus to the long-term parking area at JFK, retrieved his car and drove home, the official said.
Police picked the flight attendant up at his home Monday afternoon and brought him to the Port Authority Police station at the airport for questioning. (No word on whether the flight attendant was one of the many former NYPD officers in jetBlue’s employ.)
“At this time, we are working with the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to investigate this incident. At no time was the security or safety of our customers or crewmembers at risk,” said Steve Stampley, a JetBlue Airways spokesman.
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