Member of Cabin Crew Rescues Teenage Traffic Victim

The incident occurred onboard an Alaska Airlines flight in 2011, but since then, awareness of human trafficking has risen throughout the global aviation industry.

A veteran Alaska Airlines flight attendant followed her instinct to help save a teenage girl from being trafficked.

On a flight from Seattle to San Francisco back in 2011, Sheila Frederick spotted the young girl traveling with a much older man. The man’s well-dressed appearance contrasted starkly with that of the teenager, who, Frederick noted, was disheveled and unkempt.

This concerned Frederick, who then attempted to speak to the girl. “Something in the back of my mind said something is not right. He was well-dressed, that’s what kind of got me because why is he well-dressed and she is looking disheveled and out of sorts,” she told CBS affiliate WTSP.

When initially approached, the teenager refused to acknowledge or verbally engage with Frederick, who noted that the man answered all questions directed at the girl. Frederick, however, was eventually able to very quietly tell the girl to go the lavatory, where the flight attendant had discreetly placed a note enquiring after the teenager’s well-being.

The girl wrote back, “I need help.” Frederick notified the pilot, who then contacted local police. Because of Frederick’s swift action, the man was arrested for human trafficking upon landing.

In the years since this incident, awareness of human trafficking has increased throughout the global airline industry, with many cabin crew now receiving special training to spot this crime.

“I’ve been a flight attendant for ten years and it’s like I am going all the way back to when I was in training and I was like, ‘I could have seen these young girls and young boys and didn’t even know,’” Frederick reflects.

But despite the increased awareness of this crime, Frederick’s advice to those who suspect that someone is being trafficked is simple. “If you see something, say something,” she said.

[Photo: WTSP]