The incident was reported to flight attendants on a Sept. 3 flight operated by United Express partner Republic Airways from Rochester, NY to Newark Liberty Airport, a United Airlines spokesperson tells Daily Voice.
“The customer stayed in the aircraft galley until returning to her seat for the landing,” United said in a statement. “United Airlines staff members learned about it as customers were deplaning.”
The 25-year-old woman alleged that she was seated next to a man between the ages of 35 and 40 who was wearing hiking pants and a T-shirt, NBC News reports. The woman told the outlet that she alerted flight staff that she was not comfortable sitting next to him and was allowed to stand, due to a lack of available seating, until she had to sit down for landing and subsequently deplaning, as their seats were toward the back of the plane.
The man left without facing any consequences, the woman told NBC News. She said she alerted a United agent to the incident, who allegedly responded, “What am I supposed to do about it?” PEOPLE reports, citing NBC News. The passenger reportedly notified United Airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration and contacted the FBI. She also criticized United’s response, calling its language “blaming” and “offensive.”
In a statement to Daily Voice, United said: “The safety of our customers and colleagues is our top priority. We take these matters seriously and are looking into what happened. We have been in contact with the customer and apologized for her experience.”
Click here for the full report from NBC News.
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