I flew from SFO to HKG on Feb 10 in business class. I was in business class in seat 26F. 26D and E were taken by two gentlemen traveling together. Apparently, while I slept a couple hours after the meal, the gentleman in 26E overindulged in alcohol and was cut off by the purser. When I awoke, the following happened:

1. He drank my fresh glass of water.
2. He sank his hand into a replenished glass of water.
3. He took my bag of potato chips from my hand, and a small carton of dip I had brought on board, and ate them.
4. He wadded up his trash and threw it on me.
5. He put his hand on me.
6. He said “sorry”, then mumbled on in another language. He began to get threatening as I attempted to return to my book.
7. He dumped the second glass of red wine he had gotten from the galley all over me, ruining my slacks.

My actions:
1. I talked to the purser and the FA after each incident.
2. I told the purser he was continuing to get wine. He continued to do so after I told the purser. The cabin crew never checked our seats to see his glasses of wine.
3. I asked the purser if there were any empty seats to which I could move. There were none.
4. I asked the purser to have the two gentlemen switch seats with each other. The man in the middle seat refused to do so.
5. By the end, I was frightened to sit next to the man. I could not fall asleep as I did not know if he would touch me again, and if so, where.
6. Once the wine was dumped all over me, I insisted that the purser make the two men move. At this point, he did so.

If ever faced with the situation again, what more could I do? I've spoken to United. The customer service rep said that UA bears no responsibility for the action of other passengers. It didn't matter that the passenger continued to get alcohol from the galley or that the purser didn't force the passenger to swap with his friends - they have no responsibility. No, they can't give me an upgrade for another flight - it wasn't their problem, and how does one assign value to such an event anyway? Yes, the purser gave me a customer service form - but there is nothing they will do for me (other than a $50 service check, which is standard for any 1K who writes on any issue).

Seriously, I was very proactive throughout all of this. The only thing I didn't think to ask was whether there was a UA employee on board who would swap seats with me. I feel as though United is being cavalier - but if it is solely up to me to protect myself on another flight, what do I do?