New York ( CNN ) -- We all fantasize of one day quitting our jobs in a storm of profanities , middle fingers and toppled computers . Rarely does it happen , though , so when flight attendant Steven Slater lived the dream on JetBlue Flight 1052 at JFK on Monday -- yelling `` it 's been great ! , '' grabbing a beer and jumping out the emergency slide into airline history -- I sort of had to sit back and applaud . It resonated in the industry , too . `` It was shocking , '' said Sara Keagle , a flight attendant of 18 years who blogs at Flying Pinto and calls the high-strung northeast the trickiest region for smooth passenger-attendant relations . `` He basically lived out a fantasy I did n't know I had . '' Tension between airline companies , airline staff and air passengers seems to dip to new lows every year . Passengers whine about an increase of fees on such things as checked baggage , meals and use of blankets ( the industry makes nearly $ 8 billion a year in such fees , says the U.S. Department of Transportation ) . They also have to surrender harmless toothpaste and disclose sock styles at airport security checks . They get cranky . And flight attendants ? They endure long hours ( on average about 80 flying hours monthly , Keagle says ) and low pay ( starting at $ 14 per hour and topping at about $ 40 ) . Some can join unions , but at JetBlue , Slater was n't in a union . All too often , they deal with self-righteous passengers who treat them as assistants , or -- in the case of Slater -- allegedly become abusive . But considering that there are about 50,000 commercial flights daily , our record of getting along peacefully is pretty good . That more flight attendants do n't flip out at obnoxious passenger behavior is what 's really surprising here . ( The worst such behavior I 've seen is a drunk trio refusing to stop singing on a flight from Zurich , Switzerland , to Moscow , Russia ; I nearly made it a quartet . ) Perhaps more scenarios ought to end like this recent pillow fight on Lufthansa ? Still , maybe Slater had a point , if a tad overstated . Perhaps it 's time to go over some ground rules . Here are some tips to keep your flight attendant from going Slater on you . Be nice . The folks in the terminal taking your ticket -- or repelling your delusional pleas for free upgrades -- are frequently those serving you on the flight . So be nice right away . `` Hey , good ticket skills '' is one charmer . Make them laugh . Before crouching to enter the bathroom , good-naturedly ask `` will I get a hernia in there ? '' If they get it , they 'll love you ; if not , they 're sort of lame . Do n't talk business . Flight attendants do n't need to be reminded their airline is struggling -- and face it , nearly all of them are -- so do n't throw out the ol ' `` no wonder your airline is on the ropes '' if they 're out of cranberry juice . Certainly wo n't get you a bonus cookie . Take one for the team . When you get the teacher-scolds-child reminders to put your iPod away , or tuck that fanny pack deeper under the seat in front of you , just do it with a smile or self-deprecating remark like `` gosh , I 'm bad at geometry . '' Keagle said attendants actually hate having to remind passengers about this . `` I dread that part of the job . Unless you 've lived under a rock , you know about that already . '' Ask about them . `` How far have you flown today ? '' or `` What 's the dumbest passenger question you 've heard ? '' can show you 're interested in them as actual people . Do n't dump trash in the seat pouch . Treat the airline like a friend 's home -- do n't trash it . The pouch in front of you is not a place to put dirty diapers or your sandwich wrappers . `` I put my hand in puke one time , '' Keagle said . `` Not fun at all . '' Do n't ogle . Some folks , OK mostly guys , treat the aisle as a walkway of delights and visually grope attendants as they saunter down it . That 's rude . Do n't defy attendants . C'mon . If an attendant says `` snooze the toilet break , '' snooze it . If you 're not yet at the gate , do n't get up to sneak a first grab at the overhead storage . The bag will be there . You deserve no bonus privileges above your fellow passengers . To the passenger who reportedly ignited Slater 's meltdown ? After cursing and supposedly pulling a bag out that slammed into Slater , like in that Ben Stiller scene in `` Meet the Parents ? '' Maybe you ought to laminate this list . Or go by car . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Robert Reid .
Robert Reid : Steven Reid 's dramatic exit from college ( and job ) was vicarious experience for many . Evolution of airline industry has seemed designed to create conflict like this , he says . He says flight attendant get not - great pay and deal with obnoxious passengers . Reid : Follow some simple ground rules to keep flight attendant from flipping out .