A 25-year-old woman says United Airlines flight crew made her return to her seat beside a man she had reported for allegedly masturbating while looking at her during a flight from Rochester, New York, to Newark Liberty International Airport.
United Airlines is investigating the allegation, according to the airline. A United spokesperson told PEOPLE, “We are looking into this report but don't have anything additional to share at this time.”
The alleged incident happened on Sept. 3 aboard a flight that departed Rochester at around 6 a.m. and took roughly an hour to reach Newark, according to NBC News, which interviewed the woman.
The woman, who works as a pediatric crisis therapist, was not identified because of safety concerns. She described the man sitting beside her as a “normal looking,” “unassuming,” man between 35 and 40 years old who was wearing a T-shirt and hiking pants.
She told NBC that she left her seat after noticing the alleged behavior and reported it to United flight crew members. She was then allowed to stand for much of the flight.
It is unclear whether the crew confronted the man or notified the pilot about the allegation.
She says crew made her return to the seat
As the plane prepared to land in Newark, the woman said crew members told her she had to return to her assigned seat because there were no other available seats.
“On multiple instances, I said I feel uncomfortable doing that,” she explained.
According to the woman, crew members told her she would only have to sit beside the man for about five minutes during landing. But because their seats were toward the rear of the aircraft, she said she remained beside him longer while passengers in front of them exited the plane.
The woman also told NBC that the man was not met by law enforcement or United staff after landing and was allowed to leave the airport.
“What am I supposed to do about it,” she claims a United gate agent said when she complained.
She subsequently filed complaints with United and the Federal Aviation Administration and contacted the FBI, according to NBC.
In an email reviewed by NBC, a United representative reportedly wrote, “I can imagine how upsetting and uncomfortable it must have been to experience behavior from another passenger that caused you concern, particularly while seated in a location where you felt concerned.”
The woman described the wording as “blaming” and “offensive.”
“Additionally, framing public masturbation as ‘behavior that caused me concern’ implies that what occurred could somehow be perceived as acceptable,” she told NBC.
United gave her a $100 flight credit for the roughly $400 trip, according to NBC.
Similar allegations have been reported before
The incident has also drawn attention because it is not the first time a United passenger has publicly alleged that the airline mishandled a complaint involving a man masturbating during a flight.
In 2018, SFGATE reported that a 21-year-old woman claimed a man masturbated beside her “for hours” on a United flight and alleged that the airline failed to report him to law enforcement despite telling her it would do so.
In 2013, KTLA reported that 18-year-old Monica Amestoy sued United, alleging that a male passenger touched himself during a flight from New York to Los Angeles.
Some people tell her to switch airlines
The latest allegation has also sparked a discussion online about whether passengers should avoid United after incidents like this.
One commenter writes: "As someone who lives near an airport roughly the size of Rochester's, boycotting an airline would be really difficult if not impossible for me without having to drive hours to another city's airport. There just aren't enough options and many routes are only serviced by one airline."
Another writes: "Are women supposed to stop riding a train after facing harassment? Stop riding the bus? Harassment by men happens everywhere. I highly doubt switching airlines would prevent another incident. All that would achieve is swapping one crappy airline out for another. At the end of the day, women still have places they need to be."
The woman has complained to United, the FAA and the FBI, while United says it is investigating what happened. At this point, the allegations about the passenger's conduct and the crew's handling of the complaint have not been independently established.
