JetBlue Flight Attendant: No Salary Would Be Enough

August 11, 2010

When JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater felt the impact of a passenger’s bag on his head, something inside of him snapped. He was angry. He had had it. He was done. No salary, no job security and no benefits could keep him from unleashing his anger over the intercom, grabbing two beers and sliding down a slide and off of the job. As the Salary Reporter I have to ask, what sort of earnings was Slater leaving behind?

Slater is 38 years old and has been working in the airline industry for about 20 years, according to the ABC News story, Steven Slater, JetBlue Flight Attendant Out on Bail. And, even though the flights are free and unions often ensure good benefits, being a flight attendant certainly has its disadvantages. People from all walks of life get into a confined space and expect to be treated like royalty. Few passengers remember that flight attendants undergo rigorous safety training and are on board mostly for their safety. Flight attendants are viewed more as servants, referees, and luggage handlers.

Apparently, an argument between two passengers that started in
Pittsburgh where the flight took off, escalated when the plane landed at
JFK and Slater took a hit – literally. Slater had clearly been treated poorly enough times before to give up his gig. What was he losing? What were Slater’s earnings per year, according to PayScale’s database?

After over twenty years as a flight attendant, living in the New York City area, Slater was earning somewhere between $54,300 and $77,900, including all bonuses. Let’s check out some other facts that the PayScale database can tell us about Slater’s job situation.