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BR Flight Attendant Sexually Harassed by Gentleman with Disability

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Old Jan 21, 2019, 8:48 am
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Last edit by: hayzel7773
Summary of Events
  • Pax boarded last in a wheelchair on January 18th for BR15, LAX-TPE, and he was connecting onto BKK.
  • Because of his size, he requests to be seated in an empty row of 3. They happily move him.
  • 2hr30min into flight, the man requests that the flight attendant make arrangements for him to use the J class bathroom as he cannot fit in the Y one. The flight attendant inquires with the Chief Purser, who gives the ok.
  • 3 flight attendants along with the original FA (She is a deputy purser in charge of the Y cabin) assist him to the restroom so that he can use it. They inform him where the call button is, then shut the door for him.
  • One minute later, he rings the call button and the FA's open the door. There, he says that he cannot pull his underwear down; it's off in the front but on in the back. A flight attendant brings a blanket over to cover him as his genitals are now exposed. He whacks the FA's hand and tells her to take that away and help him pull his underwear down. She agrees, dons plastic gloves, and then pulls the back down for him before leaving the lav.
  • 15 minutes later, the man says that they can come in and help him now. Upon opening the door, they discover he is still sitting on the toilet with his pants at his ankles. He says, "I'm done. You can wipe my butt now". The flight attendant says she cannot do that, and he berates her, saying she agreed to do it previously and now he already went so he needs her to do it or he's just going to sit in the lav. The CP is called in from rest at this point and an all-call is made.
  • After further back and forth with the passenger and conversation between the crew, the CP makes the decision to wipe for him, even though it is made clear they do not do these things. The flight was expected to be extremely turbulent and the FA's decided they could not inconvenience other pax over this situation. CP cannot bear to have her junior crew do it, so she will do it herself while the DP holds the man up. She dons 3 layers of plastic gloves and proceeds to wipe. While wiping, the man moans "hmmmmm, deeper, deeper". After the first wipe, the man claims that he is not clean and demands she wipes again. She wipes a total of three (3) times!
  • After the 3rd wipe, they say they cannot wipe anymore. He then says "You better have wiped me clean".
  • The pax now demands the FA pull his pants up for him, which she does because she has already been traumatized at this point. He is helped back to his seat.
  • Pax goes #2 again later on in the flight, the same scenario plays out again.
Pax History with BR
  • He has flown roughly 20 flights with BR and did not start presenting problems until May 2018 when he allegedly developed health issues.
  • According to the FA's, multiple BIP reports have been made against him throughout this year.
  • In May 2018 on the same flight, he made the same demands but was struck down. Instead, he defecates into his pants in his seat. Pax complains, leading to a discipline hearing for the FA's as to why this happened in this first place. They are let off with warnings.
  • He urinated himself in another instance on a TPE-BKK flight.
  • He demanded a Thai crew member change and clean his diaper on a TPE-BKK flight but was struck down. Instead, he let the diaper overflow into the seat.
  • On the connecting TPE-BKK flight on the 19th, he spilled juice in his crotch area. When he flagged a flight attendant to get her to bring napkins, he also asked her to wipe. She gave him napkins to wipe and said he could do it himself, to which he replied "You can do better than me". The flight attendant wiped for him.
Reports in English

https://nypost.com/2019/01/21/flight-attendant-says-overweight-passenger-forced-her-to-wipe-his-butt/ - New York Post
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6615261/31st-passenger-forces-stewardess-wipe-bottom-long-flight-Los-Angeles-Taiwan.html - Daily Mail
http://focustaiwan.tw/news/asoc/201901210016.aspx - Focus Taiwan

EVA's Disability In-Flight Assistance Policy: https://www.evaair.com/en-global/managing-your-trip/special-assistance-and-inquiry/special-assistance/#assistance-during-the-flight

FA/Union News Conference (in Chinese Mandarin): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pt-gYpN1D8

BR Statements

1/21 Post FA News Conference Statement from EVA Air (in Chinese): https://www.evaair.com/zh-tw/about-eva-air/news/travel-news/2019-01-21-pr-publish.html (English summary: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/30681664-post60.html)
1/20 Initial statement: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/30677669-post11.html

Other Taiwanese Media Reports (in Chinese)

1/21 https://udn.com/news/story/7315/3605843 - includes clarification from BR management post FA union news conference
1/20 https://udn.com/news/story/7315/3604203 - one of the first reports
1/20 https://tw.appledaily.com/new/realtime/20190120/1504018 - another one of the earlier reports (video is not the actual event and this news paper is like the New York Post of Taiwan and Hong Kong)
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BR Flight Attendant Sexually Harassed by Gentleman with Disability

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Old Jan 23, 2019, 8:45 pm
  #151  
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Originally Posted by hayzel7773
The man should go get checked out for colon cancer.
Why are you so concerned for the health of the guy?

Originally Posted by global happy traveller
Here you go.... employee health & safety / workers comp / injury lawsuit waiting to happen

Meanwhile everyone is concerned about discrimination lawsuit from the customer.... gotta think big picture
I think this is part of the reason why BR Management blamed this on the FAs initially.. Yes, there are so many factors in play here and the public accusations and posting of the pictures by the employees really puts BR at a disadvantage. One does have to think about the big picture.

Then of course I wonder if there will be any "revenge after the autumn" (Chinese experssion for payback) for the FAs....
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Old Jan 23, 2019, 9:54 pm
  #152  
 
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Originally Posted by username
Looks like BR issued additional statement: https://www.evaair.com/zh-tw/about-e...r-publish.html

Essentially:

1 - passenger has 20 BR flights with no irregularity until last year due to health reasons
2 - cabin crew refused last time and passenger got other passengers to help - cabin crew was not disciplined
3 - this time, the guy requested help for lav 3 times - twice in-flight (handled by FAs once + male cockpit crew once) + once during transit at TPE
4 - BR is balancing between protecting employees and humanitarian concerns. Working with US lawyers to decide what to do
5 - If FAs want to sue passenger, BR will assist
6 - BR will train cabin crews to ensure they know they can decline unreasonable requests

What they should really do is to publish the English version of the statement so people know they mean business.
Unfortunately this list is missing the single most critical step that should be taken: "BR will train ground staff to ensure that passengers requiring this kind of assistance are denied boarding". The right place to solve this is not in the air. It's a complete no-win situation once airborne.
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Old Jan 23, 2019, 10:10 pm
  #153  
 
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Originally Posted by username
There was an interview with K Chang last week about Starlux. Boy, he sounded confident with a hint of arrogance. I guess if his father can start BR and it is much bigger than they imagined initially, I can see his dream.

I guess they plan to start flying next year this time so things are really cooking. Basically he said he is going to rely on transit passengers - first get at least daily service for cities in Asia with the A321s. Then when the 350s come, North American service to ALL the stations BR serves now and more.
Did the interview with K Chang say which future millionaire he signed up to fund Starlux?

"If you want to be a Millionaire, start with a billion dollars and launch a new airline."
Richard Branson'

This deserves another thread, but I don't see how they plan to differentiate...
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Old Jan 23, 2019, 11:05 pm
  #154  
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Originally Posted by Visconti
Thanks for posting the link.

Article mentioned there were no male FAs. What? As if a Male should be okay with wiping someone's a**? Seriously? Whether one is a Female, Male, Neutral, Genderless, should utterly refuse such a request period.
Originally Posted by FlyingNone
Revolting to say the least. "deeper, deeper". This old PIG should be banned and should have been arrested at the connection point for indecent exposure and sexual ASSAULT. Seriously, what flight attendant and why would ANY flight attendant agree to wipe someone's ... ?????????? You can sit on the toilet till we get to Taipei.......that is after I tell the Captain and he'll probably have to divert to get you off and to a hospital or nursing home.
Originally Posted by restlessinRNO
Surely if he is that disabled, he should only travel with a (male) nursing assistant, or just stay home. For him to demand that the (female) BR FAs offer toileting services, is disgusting. Has the ADA now come to the point where BR must change their long-standing hiring practices, one wonders?
Very likely, the passenger is a troublemaker.

However, he is so obese that it is possible that he genuinely needs help wiping, particularly in a small lavatory.

Why does there need to be a man? Not everyone is heterosexual. To a gay man, the passenger's genitalia is like showing a straight man a woman's breast. No, it should not be assumed that men need male aides and women need female aides. Most women have had sex with a man so genitalia is not a new sight.

I am sure that the FA did not wipe as thoroughly as was needed since they were grossed out. So the reports of "deeper, deeper" is not out of line. Plus his butt is big so the anus is deep in there. I am not convinced he said "hmmmm (pleasure) deeper, deeper" but rather just "deeper, deeper".

Still, I conclude that the man is demanding and is possibly a troublemaker. I'm not so sure he should be banned but should be required to have an aide travel with him.
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Old Jan 24, 2019, 5:24 am
  #155  
 
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Originally Posted by Toshbaf
Very likely, the passenger is a troublemaker.

However, he is so obese that it is possible that he genuinely needs help wiping, particularly in a small lavatory.

Why does there need to be a man? Not everyone is heterosexual. To a gay man, the passenger's genitalia is like showing a straight man a woman's breast. No, it should not be assumed that men need male aides and women need female aides. Most women have had sex with a man so genitalia is not a new sight.

I am sure that the FA did not wipe as thoroughly as was needed since they were grossed out. So the reports of "deeper, deeper" is not out of line. Plus his butt is big so the anus is deep in there. I am not convinced he said "hmmmm (pleasure) deeper, deeper" but rather just "deeper, deeper".

Still, I conclude that the man is demanding and is possibly a troublemaker. I'm not so sure he should be banned but should be required to have an aide travel with him.
That doesn't explain some of the facts. If his request is without malicious intent, then why refuse to have the washroom door closed? More importantly, why would he object to having his genitalia covered?
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Old Jan 24, 2019, 8:13 am
  #156  
 
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Originally Posted by Toshbaf
Very likely, the passenger is a troublemaker.

However, he is so obese that it is possible that he genuinely needs help wiping, particularly in a small lavatory.

Why does there need to be a man? Not everyone is heterosexual. To a gay man, the passenger's genitalia is like showing a straight man a woman's breast. No, it should not be assumed that men need male aides and women need female aides. Most women have had sex with a man so genitalia is not a new sight.

I am sure that the FA did not wipe as thoroughly as was needed since they were grossed out. So the reports of "deeper, deeper" is not out of line. Plus his butt is big so the anus is deep in there. I am not convinced he said "hmmmm (pleasure) deeper, deeper" but rather just "deeper, deeper".

Still, I conclude that the man is demanding and is possibly a troublemaker. I'm not so sure he should be banned but should be required to have an aide travel with him.
No, he moaned with pleasure. At least two of the FAs said that. I believe them:Kuo, who was holding onto the passenger to keep in steady, recalled: "He said: 'Oh, mmm, deeper, deeper', and then accused my chief attendant of not properly cleaning his backside, requesting that she do it again.
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Old Jan 24, 2019, 8:41 am
  #157  
 
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And the following issue is already in the news: https://tw.mobi.yahoo.com/news/倫敦機場大...042835195.html
BR68 of 22 Jan delayed over 48 hours out of LHR, first technical and later crew hours.

However what I got from sources is that within the first 24 hours all the baggage was left in the aircraft after it went tech. Later during during boarding on 23rd Jan they were missing 35 passengers. Of course since the baggage on-board they start searching for the passengers but unable to locate them and then the crew went out of hours.

Not a great week for them
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Old Jan 24, 2019, 8:53 am
  #158  
 
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Hindsight analysis is 20/20, but, in my view, the FAs here were placed into an impossible "damned if you do/damned into if you don't" kind of nightmare scenario. Once the pax boarded and seated, and the situation had arisen, there were only two options: (1) leave the pax to his own devices; and, (2) assist. The former would likely have lead to a litany of potential problems ranging from the pax suing (no doubt if crew refused and something ill happened, they'd be blamed and many would say they should have done the compassionate thing, or whatever other virtue signaling term) and other passengers, who may be adversely affected, potentially seeking reparation. Or, the latter, assist, which is what they chose to do.

Classic case of lesser of two evils, I suppose.
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Old Jan 24, 2019, 9:40 am
  #159  
 
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"Meanwhile the unfortunate stewardess who did the dirty job has had to undergo psychiatric treatment for her ordeal, Taiwan media reported.

She has been given three weeks' medical leave.
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Old Jan 24, 2019, 10:08 am
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I guess it's been too long and nobody remembers the logic. Hindsight, they should've done a Roland Cheng on this guy. Let him soil the seat. Declare him unfit and divert and drop him off at YVR. Leave 100 seats empty around the stinky seat, reboard the Mainlanders or whoever unable to enter Canada, transfer excess passengers to BR/AC/CX/CI, etc. It costs money but a lot less than this PR disaster (and the 777 already unusable for a few hours after arriving at TPE).
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Old Jan 24, 2019, 10:55 am
  #161  
 
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Originally Posted by HkCaGu
I guess it's been too long and nobody remembers the logic. Hindsight, they should've done a Roland Cheng on this guy. Let him soil the seat. Declare him unfit and divert and drop him off at YVR. Leave 100 seats empty around the stinky seat, reboard the Mainlanders or whoever unable to enter Canada, transfer excess passengers to BR/AC/CX/CI, etc. It costs money but a lot less than this PR disaster (and the 777 already unusable for a few hours after arriving at TPE).
Divert a whole airline so somebody can take a crap. That would be funny😮😛
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Old Jan 24, 2019, 11:00 am
  #162  
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Originally Posted by smith80678
Divert a whole airline so somebody can take a crap. That would be funny😮😛
Divert a flight because a GA failed to do his/her job and deny boarding without a caregiver.
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Old Jan 24, 2019, 12:58 pm
  #163  
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Originally Posted by skyplane
And the following issue is already in the news: https://tw.mobi.yahoo.com/news/倫敦機場大...042835195.html
BR68 of 22 Jan delayed over 48 hours out of LHR, first technical and later crew hours.

However what I got from sources is that within the first 24 hours all the baggage was left in the aircraft after it went tech. Later during during boarding on 23rd Jan they were missing 35 passengers. Of course since the baggage on-board they start searching for the passengers but unable to locate them and then the crew went out of hours.

Not a great week for them
Original tech issue was enroute. Aircraft was still able to complete the journey to LHR, but once in LHR, the mechanic realized aircraft could not be fixed in time. The flight was moved to 330pm the next day.

On the 23rd, the scheduled departure time was 330pm. However, ground handling delays due to a shortage of staff at the contracting company led to an agonizing wait of over 5 hours. Finally, they were able to board, but 35 people (1 tour group) failed to show at the gate for the 8pm boarding. At 9pm, the crew had legally timed out and the flight was cancelled. Had the flight boarded a little earlier, the staff would've just offloaded the 35 instead and the flight would've been on its way. Aircraft is now headed back to TPE. The fellow pax can go blame the tour guide and tour group for causing the time out!
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Old Jan 24, 2019, 4:40 pm
  #164  
 
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BR need to have schedule policy with one male FA in long haul flight especially transpacific when they can not divert plane easily.
I saw a lot of male FA on AC, CA, NH, CZ, KE, OZ, LH. It is really ODD that BR operated female only FA.
Most of Chinese carrier even have disguised sheriff on board who sometimes mistaken as male FA.
If male FA is on board, this type of behavior can not realized if he see who is going to guide him to bathroom.
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Old Jan 24, 2019, 6:04 pm
  #165  
 
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Originally Posted by MSPeconomist
Divert a flight because a GA failed to do his/her job and deny boarding without a caregiver.
I read somewhere else that the passenger presented himself as a normal person at the gate area, only manifesting his psychiatric symptoms after door closure
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