I honestly didn’t even know this was a thing until very recently. I am so very, very lucky that after a lifetime of flying round and round the world and many years of flying domestically in the USA I haven’t had a problem, but after some recent news coverage of sexual assault on planes my radar is now firmly tuned in.
The following article from Smarter Travel is important reading for anyone who will be getting on a plane, ever. If I can throw in my two cents it would be this: Just as you are trapped in a small space when you are on a plane, so is the perpetrator. Fight. Yell, scream, hit, kick, do whatever you can as loudly as you can. Scream for help. We live and fly in a post 9/11 era. Other passengers will be quick to help you.
In front of everyone and at the top of your voice demand the flight attendants move the perpetrator and demand the pilot radios ahead for the police. When a plane full of people are witnessing what is happening, action will be taken.
The following article was written by Shannon McMahon and first appeared on SmarterTravel.com on March 19th 2018.
image via SmarterTravel.com
WHAT TO DO IF IN-FLIGHT SEXUAL ASSAULT HAPPENS TO YOU
A lot of terrible things can happen on a plane. An anxious mind might run through them before take-off: a runway crash, mid-flight mechanical issues, a medical emergency. But how often do you worry about a fellow passenger committing sexual assault?
In-flight sexual assault is a problem that’s remained largely under the radar until the #MeToo era, as passengers question airlines’ handling (or lack thereof) of sexual assault on their planes. Delta is currently being sued by a passenger who says the airline filed no formal report after she was sexually assaulted on one of its flights, the Seattle Times recently reported.
A recent survey from the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, a union of 50,000 flight attendants across 20 airlines, suggests that in-flight sexual assault allegations are reported to law enforcement less than half of the time. The AFA survey also found that one in five flight attendants had encountered a passenger-on-passenger in-flight sexual assault.
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What to Do if There’s a Sexual Assault on Your Flight
Who’s responsible for your safety when the cabin lights dim, and what happens after an in-flight sexual assault if that near-unthinkable prospect becomes a reality?
Because Delta and other airlines declined my requests for comment, I asked the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA what passengers should do in the event of an in-flight sexual assault, and what airlines are doing to adapt. AFA president and spokesperson Taylor Garland tells me two airlines stand out in better handling in-flight sexual assault, and shared some key to-dos.
Know the Basics
One of the main problems with in-flight sexual assault is that airlines often respond to them the same way they would to an unruly passenger, despite the fact that sex-related crimes are more sensitive.
“All flight attendants go through de-escalation training and unruly passenger training. We are also trained to respond to assault,” Garland says. “There is no specific training for flight attendants on how to handle sexual assault.
The FAA doesn’t require any sexual assault-specific training for flight attendants, and crimes committed on an airplane fall under federal jurisdiction (the FBI if you’re in the United States).
Alert a Flight Attendant
The first responders in these situations are the cabin crew.
“Do your best to notify a flight attendant,” Garland says. “Sometimes this is hard to do if passengers are seated in a window seat, where they might physically have to climb over the perpetrator to get to a crew member.”
Victims in a window seat unable to get out of their row should use the call button, and loudly object to make sure others around them know there’s a problem. Garland notes witnesses, too, can be responsible for speaking up and helping report sexual assault: “If you witness something on a plane, always alert a flight attendant.”
The lack of personal space and presence of alcohol on planes can also be factors in an in-flight sexual assault. “Seats are closer together so the line of sight is diminished among passengers, and with fewer flight attendants there is simply less oversight,” Garland says. “On night flights the cabin is dark. Alcohol is an issue. This is commonly reported as a more frequent factor when flying to a vacation destination or places like Las Vegas.”
Request a New Seat
The main response to an in-flight sexual assault is to re-seat the victim away from their assaulter, so this should be your first request if it’s not done right away. “In every instance, there should be an effort to immediately separate the passengers,” Garland said.
This can be difficult in crowded cabins, but removing yourself from the issue is, as in most altercations, the first step.
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Make Sure the Pilot Knows
“Procedures would also call for reporting the incident to the flight deck and the airline, at a minimum,” Garland says. This is how law enforcement will be notified and able to meet you at the gate for assistance.
“There is not a direct reporting process,” Garland notes. “The flight attendants report to the flight deck, who reports to ground personnel for the airline, who in return would report to local law enforcement or the FBI. Unless there has been some other disruption/interference with the flight crew, the victim must say they want to file charges.”
That last part is important—because airlines have little legal responsibility in these situations, victims of in-flight sexual assault will often have to advocate for themselves to ensure proper reporting steps are followed. Ask questions to make sure law enforcement will be waiting for you at the gate.
Contact the Airline
While your first priority as a victim or a witness should be to deal with the immediate situation and to speak with law enforcement, follow up with the airline afterward to make sure the incident is documented internally, as well. With no inflight protocol for assaults that are sexual in nature, airlines should be adapting with the times, the AFA says:
“Flight attendants need the tools to be able to address this. AFA also calls on airports, airlines, and government agencies to immediately enlist everyone traveling in an effort to stop sexual harassment and sexual assault. The greater the discussion around denouncing these acts, the safer all passengers, crew, and airport workers will be,” Garland says.
“Onboard sexual assault is a unique crime and should be identified as one.
SmarterTravel Editor Shannon McMahon is a former news reporter who writes about all things travel. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
