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Ellen Simonetti

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Ellen Simonetti, aka "Queen of Sky", was a flight attendant in the early 2000's who began to document her life and work experiences on a personal blog, "Queen of Sky: Diary of a Flight Attendant ". [1] Though she never mentioned her airline by name, she frequently disparaged her unnamed employer, which was Delta Air Lines, its policies, and employees. Simonetti posted risque photographs of herself while in uniform in her Delta uniform, leading Delta to discover her blog and her published material attacking the airline. Simonetti was subsequently suspended and fired.

Ms. Simonetti's firing received wide media attention[2][3][4] because it highlighted the this issue.

Biography

Ellen Simonetti was born in North Carolina in December 1974. She was raised in Durham and Raleigh as the youngest of three siblings. In high school Simonetti went to Bern, Switzerland for a year as an exchange student. She dropped out of high school and became a travel agent and later a flight attendant. She started with her first airline, a charter airline based in Miami, Florida, in 1996 at the age of 21. After the charter went out of business a few months later, she was hired by Delta Air Lines. She had an 8-year career with Delta, during which time she finished her B.A. in Spanish at the University of Texas at Austin and flew German, Spanish, and Italian routes with the airline. She is now an full-time blogger and writer. She has written the book "Diary of a Dysfunctional Flight Attendant" and newspaper articles, e.g., for the New York Times. [5]

Suspension and subsequent firing

In late 2004, Simonetti was suspended[6] and then fired [7] for posting risque photographs of herself on board a Delta aircraft while in a uniform, [8] and for comments that Delta Airlines felt were inappropriate. Her blog at the time was entitled "Diary of a Dysfunctional Flight Attendant." She filed a lawsuit against Delta in 2005, currently pending, alleging sex discrimination and retaliation, among other things.[9] The law.com website alleges her suit was dismissed without prejudice by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia on October 28, 2005.[10] Simonetti claims on her blog that her lawsuit for sexual discrimination against Delta Airlines has not been dismissed.[11]

After dismissal by Delta Airlines

Ms. Simonetti's blog is now entitled "Diary of a FIRED Flight Attendant." Motivated by the financial stress of unemployment, Ms. Simonetti published the book in late 2006 entitled Diary of a Dysfunctional Flight Attendant: The Queen of Sky Blog. [12] (The first copy of the book was auctioned on ebay, selling for $260.[13]) Being unemployed, Ms. Simonetti tries to obtain some compensation by using the controversy to sell advertising such as GoogleAds on her blog. She has appeared on Montel [14]and the Larry Elder shows,[15] discussing the issue of personal blogging rights. Ms. Simonetti was also a member of the short-lived Committee to Protect Bloggers and set up a Bloggers Rights petition.[16] [17]

Ms. Simonetti is now a volunteer for the Red Cross and has written about her experience on her blog.[18]

Others have similarly been fired for the content of their personal blogs, e.g., Heather Armstrong (aka "Dooce") or Catherine Sanderson. [19] Indeed, getting fired for the contents of a personal blog is now an informal verb: "dooced".[20]

Critics and controversial aspects of her blog

Aspects of Ms. Simonetti's blog have engendered controversy and some backlash of opinion, including a YouTube video[21]and a blog dedicated to disparaging Ms. Simonetti and her views. In a recent World Talk Radio interview,[22] Ms. Simonetti admitted some people "can't stand" her, in particular the rival I Hate Queen Of Sky blog.[23] Consistent with an uninhibited, personal blog, Ms. Simonetti's blog has at times been colorful and a bit off-color. For example, she claimed, while still employed by Delta, that many of the elderly members of staff at her airline, which she referred to as "senior mamas," did not get along with each other, [24] which is also mentioned in her book.[25] However, she also noted that the expression "senior mamas" is common in the airline industry, a claim which is supported by a quick google search for the phrase. She has expressed concern for the safety of the airplanes because of the outsourcing of maintenance to foreign countries. [26] This claim occurred after she was fired and referred more to the general "outsourcing" of maintenance at airlines than to Delta Air Lines in particular. (The general concern was, she claimed, supported by the opinion of a Delta mechanic.[27]) On page 36 of her book, she has made racial comments against certain white people she did not like, calling them "white trash". [28] Readers interested in understanding more of the nature of the negative reaction should consult the References cited and the "Queen of Sky" blog itself.

References

  1. ^ "Queen Of Sky: Diary of a (Fired) Flight Attendant".
  2. ^ Twist, Jo (2004-10-27). "Blogger grounded by her airline". BBC News. Retrieved 2006-06-29.
  3. ^ Twist, Jo (2004-11-03). "US Blogger Fired by her Airline". BBC News. Retrieved 2006-06-29.
  4. ^ "Delta employee fired for blogging sues airline". USA Today. 2005-09-08. Retrieved 2006-06-29.
  5. ^ "Ellen Simonetti : New York Times : A Flight Attendants Revenge".
  6. ^ Twist, Jo (2004-10-27). "Blogger grounded by her airline". BBC News. Retrieved 2006-06-29.
  7. ^ Twist, Jo (2004-11-03). "US Blogger Fired by her Airline". BBC News. Retrieved 2006-06-29.
  8. ^ "Queen of Sky's controversial photos".
  9. ^ "Delta employee fired for blogging sues airline". USA Today. 2005-09-08. Retrieved 2006-06-29.
  10. ^ Sneirson, Marilyn (2006-02-07). "Instituting a Blogging Code of Conduct". Law.com - Legal Technology. Retrieved 2007-01-16. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ "Queen Of Sky Entry Showing Delta Objection ?[[2005-07-22]]". Retrieved 2005-07-22. {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  12. ^ ""Queen of Sky" Announces Upcoming Release of Her Blog-Based Book" (Press release). 2005-02-15. Retrieved 2006-06-29. {{cite press release}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ ""Queen of Sky" Announces Ebay Auction Results". 2005-02-15. Retrieved 2006-06-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ "Ellen Simonetti: Montel Appearance".
  15. ^ "Ellen Simonetti : Queen of the Sky Entry On Elder Show".
  16. ^ "BBC Article About Comittee To Protect Bloggers]". Retrieved 2005-02-22.
  17. ^ "Comittee To Protect Bloggers Says Goodbye]". Retrieved 2006-09-14.
  18. ^ "Ellen Simonetti : Queen of the Sky Entry On Red Cross ?date=[[2006-09-14]]". Retrieved 2006-09-14. {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  19. ^ "cnn news : Bridget Jones Blogger Fire Fury".
  20. ^ "Definition of "dooced"".
  21. ^ "YouTube comments on Queen of Sky".
  22. ^ "Travel Hub Radio listing". Retrieved 2007-03-07.
  23. ^ "I hate queen of sky blog".
  24. ^ "Queen Of Sky Entry Mentioning Senior Mamas". Retrieved 2005-08-29.
  25. ^ "Queen Of Sky Book Cover Mentioning Senior Mamas". Retrieved 2006-02-15.
  26. ^ "Queen Of Sky Mentioning Aircraft Maintenance". Retrieved 2005-03-01.
  27. ^ "Queen Of Sky Mentioning Aircraft Maintenance". Retrieved 2005-03-01.
  28. ^ "Ellen Simonetti : Queen of the Sky Book Extract ?date=[[2007-03-01]]". Retrieved 2007-03-01. {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)
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