August 11, 2010

JetBlue flight attendant controversy discussed by Nancy Grace and aviation attorney Mary Schiavo

On Monday, August 9, 2010 on JetBlue Flight 1052, a flight attendant for JetBlue Airways Corp. allegedly lost his temper, shouted profanity at a passenger over the plane's public address system and grabbed some beer off of the nearby galley before using an emergency slide to exit the plane onto the tarmac at New York's Kennedy Airport. He has since been charged with the following:

• 1st and 2nd degree reckless endangerment
• 2nd and 4th degree criminal mischief
• 3rd degree criminal trespass

There has been controversy surrounding these charges, and Motley Rice attorney and former Inspector General for the Department of Transportation Mary Schiavo says that the charges are not unusual for both financial and passenger safety reasons, stating that even minor offenses on board an airplane must be take seriously for the sake of passenger safety. In addition, the cost to replace an emergency escape slide once it has been released is approximately $25,000.