Dear Ginger & Izzy,

Let me start off by saying I'm having a hay-day following this story. It is changing constantly and has been fun to follow. We've all been fed up with our jobs from time to time (often daily) and it's "refreshing" to see someone actually act out!

I am a flight attendant for Southwest Airlines. As a regular listener to your show over the past year and a half since moving to TRI, I really enjoy your entertainment and morning show. I often hear you reference my employer and held back from calling your show when you were discussing the issue we had with the child enroute to Orlando who claimed a passenger was harrassing him. But I held my tongue...until now!

I wanted to say I'm behind Steven Slater 500%!!! It's about time these rude people got a taste of reality. We put up with their whining, complaining, moaning and groaning over the slightest issues on a daily basis. IT GETS OLD!!! In the beginning, Steven was simply doing his job according to the FAA regulations re: carry-ons.

No, I don't agree with how the entire process was carried out, but as a flight attendant, I would be lying if I said I wouldn't do the EXACT same procedure. I think I can speak for a lot of crew members! It gets old real quick.

As employees, we don't make the rules and regulations. The air carriers don't make the rules...the FAA does. And constantly we have either the FAA inspectors or our company management watching us to assure we adhere to the procedures. The general public doesn't help most of the time to make proceures easier. Trust me, I don't "get happy" daily by having to constantly remind the everyday travelers to play by the rules!

This job can be VERY mundane, very repetitive and very negative. When you add stress in your personal life to the already stressful job position, it's often easy to "snap." I personally do not like confrontation, so I strive to keep peace in the cabin. We've heard the term "pick and choose your battles carefully." But by picking and choosing, you're often risking your job security and employment. So where does one draw the line? That's probably where Steven Slater drew his line!

I stand behind Mr. Slater because it's about time someone stand up and really express how we all feel...and not just airline employees. ALL customer service oriented positions are the same. Because customer service equates to dealing with lots of different people in society. And unfortunately, society is all about themselves these days.

Mr. Slater was lucky during his ordeal Monday afternoon in the fact he didn't kill or injure anyone on the ground when he deployed the emergency chute. When a chute is deployed on a tarmack (or anywhere other people are involved around the aircraft), you can actually be killed or seriously injured during the 3-5 second inflation. For my employer, an accidental slide deployment at the gate is terms for termination. No questions, no explanations!

Maybe, for a short time, if people know how we really feel (and a few witnessed first hand that very subject Monday!), maybe a handful of attitues will finally change. Oh sure, I work with my share who I'm constantly "cleaning up" behind them in the cabin from peaving people off for no valid reason. And often your crewmates can be far worse than any customer. But overall, I completely understand the frustration Mr. Slater experienced Monday (minus his personal issues, of course).

While I don't agree with everything in full Mr. Slater did Monday, I do hope he is spared from seven years behind bars. I find that a tad harsh when we have true criminals running rampant on the streets of America with far less prison sentences. (That's another day!)

There's so many unknown factors we still do not know or understand re: this issue. It's hard to make a judgement or analyze the situation at this point...even for an airline crew member. And it's certainly NOT just airline passengers and crew members who need to learn respect...EVERYONE DOES. I have tons of friends in various customer service oriented positions, from restaurant to TV cable to hotel to other airlines. And amazingly enough...WE ALL COMPLAIN OF THE SAME ISSUE in each of our positions...RESPECT!

Thank you for letting me vent and listening to my two cents. This story will be very interesting in the next few days to follow. Thank you for a great morning show...keep up the GREAT work on-air! You're doing what I desired to do at an earlier age (broadcasting) but backed out. I now regret it!

Hope to see you onboard one of my flights in the near future. I'll be sure "hook ya up!" ;)

Enjoy your day! :)