Jetblue crazed steward, Steven Slater ponders next move as he basks in glow of newfound fame

Legend of flight attendant grows

Jetblue crazed steward, Steven Slater ponders next move as he basks in glow of newfound fame

JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater said that he long fantasised about escaping a plane by jumping down its emergency slide.

Spotlight
"It was great. I always wanted to do it," Slater said outside of his home in Belle Harbor, Queens.

Slater (38), was still basking in the spotlight and pondering his next move.

"One door closes, another one opens," he said enigmatically as he left a bail bondsman's office in Queens earlier yesterday.

Slater declined to talk about the confrontation with theu00a0 passenger that prompted his dramatic down-the-chute departure Monday.

He plans to hire a new lawyer and make some kind of announcement soon.

"A lot of my life is out of my hands right now," he said as he got into a Jeep with his boyfriend. "There's a lot to sort out in a fairly quick time frame."

Slater, spent the night in an Upper East Side apartment after being bailed out of jail.

Hero status
When he left the Vernon Cu00a0 Bain Center in Hunts Point, the Bronx, on Tuesday night, he said he was shocked by his folk-hero status.

"I knew there was a brouhaha about this, but while I was on the inside I didn't realise how much attention it got," he said.

"I think something about this resonated with people. The outpouring of support is very appreciated. I'm overwhelmed, very thankful."

Slater became a household name after he cursed out a nasty passenger over a plane intercom, grabbed some beer and fled down an emergency slide at Kennedy Airport.

He has pleaded not guilty to criminal mischief, reckless endangerment and trespassing charges -- and his mom says he's no criminal.

"I can understand why he snapped. I would have snapped, too," Diane Slater said Tuesday after her son pleaded not guilty to criminal charges.

In his announcement to passengers on the flight out of Pittsburgh, Slater referred to the woman as "the f*****g a**hole that told me to f**k off."

He then declared, "I've had it. That's it," witnesses said.

JetBlue passengers say they laughed when the situation occurred on the flight.

Instead of being told where to go to find their luggage or catch their connecting flights they heard someone offering an expletive-laden suggestion.

Odd situation
Slater's Legal Aid lawyer, Howard Turman, said his client was trying to defuse a testy situation when the passenger, who has not been identified, started giving him hell after the plane landed.

"He was trying to do his best in providing safety and you have rudeness and lack of courtesy among the traveling public," Turman said.

Authorities said Slater endangered JetBlue employees under the aircraft when he activated the emergency slide, which costs more than $25,000 (Rs 11 lakh) to replace.

JetBlue suspended Slater even as Facebook fans began raising money for his legal defense and demanding he get his job back.

Inspiration

JetBlue flight attendant Steve Slater, has turned him into a hero for many, inspired Jimmy Fallon to write a song. Jay Leno joked about Slater, saying, "I guess you heard JetBlue has a new slogan: Screw all of you!" And, "The guy has become a folk hero.u00a0... The good news: Terrorists are now afraid to fly Jet Blue."

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