US air steward in shock plane exit after passenger row

A US flight attendant has been bailed after he had a row with a passenger on a plane and allegedly fled using the emergency exit slide. Steven Slater, 39, reportedly became furious with a passenger who opened his overhead locker before the plane had stopped at JFK International Airport. He was arrested and charged with criminal mischief, trespassing and reckless endangerment.



The JetBlue plane was travelling from Pittsburgh to New York on Monday. On the plane's arrival, Mr Slater told passengers to stay in their seats until the plane stopped. When a passenger stood up and opened the overhead locker, Mr Slater went to stop him but the bag struck him in the face.

He then demanded an apology but the passenger cursed at him instead. Becoming irate, Mr Slater then used the loudspeaker to tell him off, before allegedly grabbing some beer from the kitchen and activating the slide. After making his dramatic exit, he then walked to his car and drove away.



He was arrested at his home in Queens shortly afterwards. A New York City judge set his bail at $2,500 (£1,590), rejecting a defence lawyer's request that he be freed without bail. The airline said it was investigating the incident. "At no time was the security or safety of our customers or crew members at risk," it said in a statement.