Originally Posted by
Miranda200
Hello all- Your advice would be greatly appreciated. Long time flyertalk reader, not poster.
I was on UA930 SFO - LHR on the 11th. Seated in a row of 3 in the window seat. Lights out for the night I fell into a sound sleep. With around 4 hours left in the flight, I was awakened by a drunk man with his hands all over my upper thighs saying how horny he was. With the assistance of the man seated in the aisle I was able to exit the row and reported to a steward. Two stewards removed the drunk to another location on the plane and I returned to my seat.
Needless to say this was quite a shock.
A woman attendant later came to my seat and asked me to accompany her to the back of the plane where I was expecting some sort of sympathy. I was still quite shaken. Not at all what she wanted. She wanted me to speak to the assailant and hear his apology!
I refused as seeing him was the last thing I would want, and seriously what kind of words would ever take away such a horrific experience.
So back to my seat and after awhile that same woman attendant returned. We're still in the darkened cabin. She handed me a paper napkin and requested I write my name, seat number and a statement that I wouldn't take the matter further. SERIOUSLY??! I'm still shaking in my seat and this is the kind of comfort offered? I only provided my name and seat.
Throughout all this I never raised my voice or made any demands. I was just so shaken I didn't know what to do or say or how to even react. That was the last I heard from anyone on that flight.
Later that night, I scoured the United website who/how to report this incident. Best match I could find was an email to "customer care".
I received a return email stating they'd get back to me in 10 - 14 days.
I did receive an email from a claims agent this afternoon requesting a call back, which I did. Her main objective was to discover what I wanted United to do. I just don't want anyone else to go through this experience and be treated in such a cold and callous manner. She said she needed time to investigate and we'll talk tomorrow. She didn't have much in her perview but said they'd look into their procedures how to better improve their responses.
So here I am with a return flight on the 25th. I am dreading getting back on a plane.
What would you do? Please advise -
This is a nightmare.
OK, to be constructive, you need to empower yourself by means other than UA.
:-: Go now to your local UK police station and file a report.
UA are not the police; cannot investigate/take action; have no legal role in enforcement against the individual, although they can deal with their crew actions/non-actions. However, they will have the ID info and details of the other pax b/c you can provide seat info, and they are going to have to share those with LE when a formal complaint is investigated.
I suggest to you and all female travelers that they rehearse what they will do under these circumstances - i.e. know what your point of legal contact will be at the airport, how the national police at your destination will handle these type of complaints, and immediately make them aware of what happened. Doing this prior to immigration may even have accomplished an apprehension prior to baggage claim retrieval or immigration clearance, but it's evidently too late now.
If this were happening to a female friend/relative, I'd point her at the police who are very visible at LHR, even along the terminal corridors prior to immigration, given the UK obsession with policing airports and everything, and suggest she immediately state she wants to file a formal report of sexual assault on board.
UK courts take a very dim view of criminal acts onboard aircraft (e.g. air rage events on TATL flights).
Next up, email
[email protected] with this information. He will understand how serious this is, and although UA cannot act against the individual, they can be put on alert that this is going to be followed up and that UA's CSR actions need to be investigated. This is a mess - and from the account above, UA's FA and possibly corporate actions in the event are worthy of investigation.
The part about the FA directing you to sign a declaration not to take things further is almost worse than the original assault. But such declaration has ZERO legal standing anyway, so don't worry about it now.
It is a great shock to the system when you are violated (by sexual assault; robbery; mugging; whatever) and quite often when you most need psychic assistance you meet the kind of non-response or sweep-it-away you describe. This is also shocking at the time. I know about this, I recall being told condescendingly after being assaulted in a bar in Scotland "Oh, you're English" - by the cops, as if that had any relevance or legal standing to the actual crime, or could excuse it! Unbelievable!
You must rely on yourself. You will be the agent to address this, using the formal mechanisms. Please do not walk away from this. You will not feel good about yourself, and the perp may well continue his actions at a later stage.