Angry, Intoxicated 1st Class Passenger Uses Emergency Slide So He Doesn't Have To Wait For Coach
An intoxicated first class passenger on a Delta Air Lines flight from New York to Guyana became so angry that coach passengers were allowed to exit before him that he "yanked open an emergency hatch and slid down the chute," says the AP.
The man was taken into custody and later released on bail. A Delta spokesperson told the AP that they will be filing charges against the man for interfering with flight crewmembers. Well, at least he was paying attention during the "safety lecture," right?
Angry flier uses emergency slide to exit Delta jet [USAToday](Thanks, David!)
(Photo: balmes )
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What a maroon!
how did he become intoxicated? did the flight attendants keep giving him drinks?
The nerve! Allowing peasants to exit the plane before royalty...
He must have been drinking the Jonestown Kool-Aid.
It's that sort of outside-the-box thinking that we're lloking for in the next cabinet. This guy could develop an exit strategy for Iraq.
Obviously, Delta's at fault for putting the slides there in the first place.
About 5 - 6 years ago, before the media frequently talked about passengers held on plane, I was part of a planeload held on the tarmac for 7 hours.
We were about 300 feet from the terminal and a mobile stairway could have easily got us off the plane.
I and other passengers had agreed at midnight we would exit via the emergency chutes. 4 minutes before midnight, we were brought to the terminal and unloaded.
When does one move from delayed passenger to hostage? If a Walmart clerk detains me for a few moments, I have legal recourse, but the airlines have free reign to do as they wish?
what is with the transparent hand on the left side of the picture? are delta flights haunted as well?
Is it normal to allow coach passengers off before those in first class? For the price premium I would certainly expect to get off the plane ASAP. Not condoning the guy's behavior, but that's pretty funny.
@bravo369: While I don't know about Delta, in some first class seats you get your complimentary drink before take off, maybe one before dinner and one with dinner. Ok, so it's only two or three drinks but altitude can have some funny effects on the human body including getting drunk more easily.
@petrarch1610: I always thought it sounded fun too, until I watched a video of airbus testing their emergency exits when building their new mega plane 380. Apparently a lot of people get bruised tailbones, though this may be because they are in a rush and don't hit the slide quite right. Also one guy broke his leg, not sure how that happened. Here is a video of 873 people getting out in less than 90 seconds with only half the emergency exits open.
I don't think it's normal for coach passengers to get off before those in first and business class. They are the ones who usually get off first since they are in front.
wow. who *hasn't* thought of doing that? personally i've always thought that's how everyone should exit a plane.
it would be even better if in hot climates they made it a water slide.
Oh, tailbones be damned - I want to go on the slide. I bet customer satisfaction would increase if there was more sliding - I think this applies to most industries, not just airlines.
Just two comments.
First, the airlines and airports have to stop serving alcohol. Airlines and airports lose their right to complain about drunk passengers when they chose to operate bars.
Second, they should perform breath tests on passengers and not allow them on the flight if they are drunk. Personally I'd go as low as .05%.
that's just classy. I was on spirit air a couple of weeks back and they had beer for $5/ea, or 4 for $16. He may have been a deal seeker and chose the latter, thus resulting in this
He's my (idiot) hero of the day. What kind of charge/prison does interfering carry? It might be worth it.
@Tmoney02: That is video of everyone working together to get out on time, however I saw a video where they said "We'll pay you more money based on of you're out first.. second.. third.. the money goes down the more people that get out ahead of you.
It took like 10 minutes to get everyone out. People were climbing over the seats to get to the door. Which is what probably would happen if there was a fire behind me.
How did he "interfere" if he left the plane?
Well he definitely interfered with that plane going anywhere for a while.
@Tmoney02: Haha, at one point, about 45 seconds in, you can see people just dropping down, not on the chute, but on the standing area just before it (like they expected it to be soft)...of course they are going to get bruised tailbones.
@shoelace414: Any chance you could dig it up or have any info on what it may be called. Would be interested to see it.
he deserves a refund. no way he should have had to wait. didnt he pay a premium, he should have got off first.
Broken arms and legs used to be pretty common. That's the secret reason why they used to instruct you to take off your shoes and hold them--otherwise your instinct is to grab the sides of the slide (breaking a finger, wrist, or arm in the process)
1) If coach passengers can get off the plane first, that's quite an incentive to fly coach. (Especially if they also get to board last.)
2) Interesting that it took a drunk guy to realize that it's stupid to only let people exit the plane through one door. Of course people could get off faster if there were more exits available. The airlines should thank him for pointing it out and change their policies.
@ThunderRoad: By inflating the slide he interfered. The plane basically can't move once it's been inflated without potentially damaging the slide. It also can't fly again until a new slide is installed and tested.
Wonder what kind of fee they will come up with. Maybe they could start charging an additional fee for any passengers who would like to exit using the slide? LOL
Hey, give him some credit! At least he was creative!
Hrmmm... Which to choose...
Exit 1: Slight delay and Freedom
Exit 2: Joyride and subsequent arrest
@GMFish: I don't think banning alcohol is the way to go, there are alot of people out there that drink because they are absolutely terrified of flying.
@shoelace414: Yeah, THAT would emulate a real emergency….hell, it would probably be WORSE than a real emergency once money was involved.
lol. funny, but he should get off his high horse
lol no we are gonna get charged with a deployment fee or something like that
@dmbbnl429: I agree. There are also plenty of people who enjoy a few drinks before or during their flight, and can do so responsibly.
Instead of Delta pressing charges on the guy, it might have been more fitting a punnishment for Delta to have point out (to the 170+ passengers scheduled to ride the outbound flight, now grounded due to the deployed slide) exactly who was responsible for their flight being delayed.
Sui-slide is painless.
The Delta limerick:
A passenger had way too much pride,
The coach folks would not step aside,
I'll do it my way he thunk,
My excuse is I'm drunk,
I'll just exit the plane on the left slide.
I suppose Delta will take this case very serious.
Stupid, but funny. Who hasn't wanted to try this?
I would love to know what this guy did once he hit the ground. I realize that you don't thoroughly plan things like this when you're drunk, but where did he think he was going to go? Just gonna go grab his luggage from the plane and catch a cab? Or maybe he was going to run back up the stairs and slide down again...fun!
@Hogan1: Well, keep in mind he was drunk, so the decision might have been more:
Exit 1: Wait his turn, get his bags, and have the cattle leave before him....
OR
Exit 2: Grab his bags, get to use those "drunk muscles" to wrench a door off its hinges, get to ride a really fun slide, teach those attendants who's really in charge, and maybe get his bag right as its being unloaded (cutting down on the airline wasting his clearly valuable time), then concierge service as the police carry him and his bags to a detention area.
Drunken logic is always amusing...
Bill him for the cost of testing/repacking/replacing the chute and see if he wants to do it again. If you're feeling viscious, add the cost of delaying the plane.
@vladthepaler: Interesting that it took a drunk guy to realize that it's stupid to only let people exit the plane through one door. Of course people could get off faster if there were more exits available. The airlines should thank him for pointing it out and change their policies.
This seems to be variable by airport more than anything else, in my experience. I know at at least one Florida airport (I can't remember if it's Miami or Ft. Lauderdale; I've flown into both almost interchangeably) where several times they've had the standard jetway at the front of the plane, and a mobile stairway at the rear. Passengers who were "able bodied enough" and "had clear access to the rear of the plane" were encouraged to use the second exit.
As a New England native, I can completely see why that's not done at BOS or JFK or even down here in DC during the winter (ice is baaaaad and leads to lawsuits I'm sure when people slip and fall) but I've often wondered why I never saw it in, say, California or the other Florida airports I've used.
Hey this could be a good idea for allowing passengers to exit the plane faster...sort of like that option where you can go thru baggage check quicker. Of course there's OSHA standards and you have to have a mountain of legal release documents signed by the passenger, but dammit It'll be fun!
@EtoilePB: Was the staircase in the very back of the plane, exiting under the tail?
A few times in my lifetime I've seen dual-exits used on a 727, which had that retractable stairway arrangement (The DB Cooper Special!). I don't think they use that anymore for safety and security reasons.
I have a new hero....
If I am paying first class rates, I wouldn't want to wait for the cattle car to unload first either. What the hell are you paying extra for if they are catered to first?
Delta ought to press charges and damages against the guy. He has definitely caused them many thousands of dollars to replace and pack that chute, and the consequent delay to the aircraft and passengers.
I've always wondered why they fill the airplanes from front to back. Wouldn't it cause less confusion and inconvenience if the BACK of the airplane was seated first?
Of course, considering the girth of of the typical traveler these days, maybe they load from the front first to avoid having the tail hit the ground. :-)
I'm tired of these muther f-in drunks, on this muther f-in plane...
that sounds like so much fun, especially when you're drunk!