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JetBlue Attendant Faces The Cameras

NEW YORK (CBS 2) -- After spending a night in an Upper East Side penthouse apartment away from the spotlight, it was a relaxed, JetBlue flight attendant who greeted the cameras Wednesday. 

Slater tried to dodge reporters saying, "I've got a lot on my plate; I've got a lot to do."

When asked about being a folk hero, Slater said he was a little overwhelmed and did not realize what was going on "out there."

Slater told a reporter for the New York Times Wednesday that he had long dreamed of using an airplane escape chute but never thought he would have the nerve. He would not get into specifics about the incident.

He is said to be meeting with his attorney Wednesday afternoon.

Meanwhile, JetBlue is finally talking about its now-famous angry flight attendant ... sort of.

In a company blog posting, the airline poked fun at the attention directed at the case of Slater.

But JetBlue didn't disclose any more information.

In a posting titled "Sometimes the weird news is about us,'' JetBlue noted while it isn't talking, plenty of others have formed opinions.

"Like, the entire Internet,'' the entry read.

JetBlue acknowledged that Slater's action has resonated beyond airline employees, saying the event "may feed your inner Office Space,'' a reference to the 1999 comedy about disgruntled technology workers.

Slater's been the talk of Twitter in several languages and a fan page has been set up on Facebook and MySpace. One posting said: "We've got 100,000 fans here in support of Steven. I think a million more sounds much better. Don't you?"

Slater was clearly a media darling after cursing over Flight 1052's intercom and bolting down the emergency chute after grabbing a couple of beers.

While some see something criminal in what Slater did, not his own mother. "I can understand why he snapped. I would've snapped too. I also don't think that people who are in the service industry should be abused by anybody. Whether it be a passenger or, you know, family, anybody" said Diane Slater.

Slater's ex-wife also was supportive.  "He definitely exited in grand fashion. He is a dramatic fellow, so I wouldn't expect any less of him," laughed Cynthia Suzanne.

During his arraignment, Slater tired to explain his actions: "I lost patience after a female passenger had an argument with another passenger and then opened the bin door, hitting me on the head without apologizing. I got on the microphone and said 'to those of you who have shown dignity and respect these last 20 years, thanks for the great ride'."

JetBlue passenger Kati Doebler tells CBS 2 his tirade was filled with expletives: "He said to the m-f-er who just told me to f-k myself, go f-k yourself. Its been a great 28 years. I'm outta here."

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