Lawyer: JetBlue flight attendant quits, not fired

A flight attendant who captured America's attention when he told off a plane full of passengers and then slid down an emergency chute resigned from his job last week and wasn't fired, his lawyer said yesterday.

JetBlue had said Saturday that Steven Slater was no longer an employee but didn't give any details, which prompted online speculation he had been fired.

Slater left the job at JetBlue Airways Corp. on Wednesday, after he had been suspended following the onboard antics he was charged with committing last month, attorney Daniel J. Horwitz said. Horwitz said he and Slater were still working out some details with the Forest Hills-based airline but wouldn't elaborate. "He was not fired," Horwitz said bluntly.

Slater, 38, worked for JetBlue for about three years, though he has spent nearly 20 years in the airline industry. He was working Flight 1052 from Pittsburgh to Kennedy Airport on Aug. 9 when, he said, an argument took place with a rude passenger. After landing at Kennedy, he went on the public address system, swore at a passenger who he claimed had treated him rudely, grabbed a beer and exited via an emergency chute, prosecutors said.

Slater was arrested and was charged with criminal mischief, reckless endangerment and trespassing. His lawyer has said a passenger's "lack of civility" prompted his behavior. His next court date is Tuesday.

JetBlue said last month that Slater was suspended pending an investigation.