Flight attendant who deployed slide at IAH now out of work

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A United Airlines employee who deployed the emergency slide on a plane that had landed at Bush Intercontinental Airport Monday is no longer on the job.

Yesterday, the flight attendant, who hasn't been identified, was removed from duty. Today, the airline says she's no longer employed there.

Flight 1246 from Sacramento landed at Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston just before noon on Monday. Shortly after the aircraft arrived at the gate, the flight attendant reportedly activated the emergency slide. It's not clear why, but airline officials say they believe the attendant did it intentionally.

There were 159 passengers on board, and a crew of six, including the flight attendant in question.

The plane was taken out of service and had to be inspected again to meet safety standards. The plane has been returned to service.

United Airlines issued the following statement on Tuesday: "We hold our employees to the highest standards. This unsafe behavior is unacceptable and does not represent the more than 20,000 flight attendants who ensure the safety of our customers. We are reviewing this matter and the flight attendant is no longer employed by United."