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<\/p>\nA San Diego woman says a passenger masturbated next to her during a United Airlines red-eye flight from San Diego to Newark, and she believes the airline should have done more to protect and support her after she alerted the flight crew.<\/p>\n
The woman, who NBC 7 Investigates is not identifying because she is the victim of a reported sex crime, said that she bought a first-class ticket specifically so she could recline and sleep during the overnight flight. But shortly after takeoff, while the seat belt sign was still on, she said she noticed jerking motions under a blanket next to her.<\/p>\n
She said the passenger was watching a pornographic video on his phone and masturbating.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know what to do,\u201d the woman told us. \u201cI was frozen. Horrified\u2026I’m essentially trapped in the window seat. I would have to climb over him because he’s got his seat fully reclined in order to get out.\u201d<\/p>\n
The woman said she eventually got up, climbed over his seat and went to the flight crew. A flight attendant told her she would walk over to talk to him, she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I realized at that point, while I’m texting them, my whole body was shaking…<\/p>\n
Female San Diego Passenger<\/p>\n
The woman said the crew did not ask whether she was OK or whether she wanted to move seats.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI’m having a trauma response of fawning, which is I’m trying to make it as easy as possible for these two women to help me. And in order to do that, I am apologizing to them and trying to make them feel comfortable helping me,\u201d the woman told NBC 7 Investigates.<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\t\tUnited AirlinesUnited Airlines<\/p>\n
A San Diego woman says a passenger masturbated next to her on a United Airlines flight and the airline should have done more to protect her and call law enforcement.<\/p>\n
She went to the lavatory and later returned to her seat. But back in her seat, next to the man she said she had seen pleasuring himself minutes earlier, she began texting her friends who worked as flight attendants.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy friends were like, you need to get up and make them switch your seats immediately,\u201d the woman said her friends told her. \u201cYou should not have to sit next to that person. That’s horrible. And I realized at that point, while I’m texting them, my whole body was shaking.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
So, she said she got up again and this time, she asked the flight attendants to move her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI said, \u2018hey, I’m sorry to do this to you guys. I know you’re busy,\u2019\u201d she told us. \u201c\u2018I can’t sit next to that person. I feel really uncomfortable. I feel really unsafe.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
The flight crew agreed to move her, and switched her with another passenger.<\/p>\n
The woman said the man left the plane without being stopped by police. She said she wasn’t told to contact the FBI until several days later, when she spoke with United customer service.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The woman said the airline should have offered to have police meet her at the gate so she could report what happened immediately. She said that did not happen.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe definitely wasn’t arrested because law enforcement was not contacted,\u201d the woman told us.<\/p>\n
Airlines are not required to report passenger sexual misconduct to police or a federal agency.<\/p>\n
United did not agree to an on-camera interview. When we asked whether it reported the incident to the FBI, the airline did not provide an answer.<\/p>\n
United provided a statement that said, \u201cWe take this issue seriously. We spoke with the customer and apologized for her experience. We have also banned the other person involved pending our investigation.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
After NBC 7 Investigates reached out to United, a customer service supervisor called the San Diego woman. She recorded the conversation, which we reviewed.<\/p>\n
The supervisor said the airline fell short in how the flight crew handled the situation and in how her own department handled the woman’s complaint during her first call.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe’s on my team. I heard the call, and I feel like we missed the mark on a lot. And I am first and foremost, I’m calling to tell you how really sorry I am about the whole situation that you experienced,\u201d said the United supervisor to the San Diego woman.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Second recent alleged masturbating incident onboard a United Airlines flight<\/p>\n