Federal Officials Say a 'Disturbing Uptick' in Sexual Assaults on Airplanes: Here��s What Travelers Need To Know

by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 5:25 PM ET, Thu September 26, 2024

After months of isolation and lockdown amid the COVID-19 pandemic, it was hardly any surprise when scores of individuals eagerly began exploring the world again once the pandemic finally began to wane.

In 2022, two years after the global health crisis first emerged, the total number of passengers on flights had rebounded to a healthy 3.3 billion, according to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). That figure represented a 42.8 percent increase from just one year earlier. By the end of 2023, air traffic on most routes had fully reached, or in some cases surpassed pre-pandemic levels.

As the number of travelers taking to the skies ramped back up, however, so too did a problem few travelers expect to experience at 30,000 feet: sexual assault.

In August 2023, federal prosecutors, the FBI and the Port of Seattle joined forces to provide information to the public about what officials labeled a "disturbing increase of sexual assaults on aircraft."

According to this group of officials, as travel resumed in a post-pandemic world, an alarming number of reports of "predatory conduct" on aircraft began to roll in.

By the end of the summer of 2023, some 62 cases of assault had already been reported on aircraft and officials were predicting that by the time the year drew to a close, the total number of in-flight sexual assaults would surpass the 90 cases reported for all of 2022.

And that's exactly what happened.?

During the course of 2023, the FBI opened 96 cases linked to in-flight sexual assault. These figures are a stark contrast to the 27 cases the FBI investigated aboard aircraft in 2018. Between 2019 and 2023, the FBI experienced a 60 percent increase in cases.

"Unfortunately, we've seen a disturbing uptick in these really horrible assaults," U.S. Attorney Tessa Gorman said in June.

The growing number of such assaults is so concerning that officials are asking the public to help combat the problem, by reporting anything unusual they witness on a plane.

In-Flight Assaults Making Headlines

On July 4, 2022, a 16-year-old boarded Southwest Flight 230 in Las Vegas, Nevada en route to Portland, Oregon and was seated away from his family, in between two adult men.?

One of those men was a 50-year-old, heavy-set male who boarded the flight "obviously intoxicated and reeking of alcohol," alleges a lawsuit later filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California against Southwest Airlines. Once the plane took off and cabin lights dimmed, the alleged perpetrator began to assault the young boy, says the court filing.

"Initially, the perpetrator grabbed the plaintiff��s leg several times," alleges the lawsuit filed by Greenberg Gross LLP, which details a disturbing series of events. From that point on, the assault on the young passenger escalated. The alleged perpetrator also attempted to kiss the young boy, made inappropriate comments and touched the young boy's thigh and groin area.

In the moments that followed, the perpetrator tried to "get inside the Plaintiff's shorts" and "despite the Plaintiff's attempts to push the Perpetrator's hand away, the Perpetrator repeatedly managed to grab the Plaintiff's genitals."?

This was far from the end of the alarming incident, which did not stop until the plane began its final descent into Portland.

The lawsuit filed by the young man's family alleges that Southwest Airlines failed to protect a minor passenger from a foreseeable in-flight sexual assault.

Daniel Cha, a partner with Greenberg Gross, told TravelPulse that he feels there's a broad "systemic failure" that must be addressed to ensure the safety and well-being of all passengers on flights, particularly minors. Cha said the lawsuit involving the 16-year-old underscores the urgent need for airlines to implement and enforce policies that protect passengers from sexual assault.

"A bunch of strangers are put together on planes and there is no opportunity to extract oneself," says Cha. "This is about adequately having people observe and identify the risk factors, in terms of the kinds of behaviors and activities associated with these incidents."

"In the case we're representing, the gentleman was very intoxicated," Cha continued. "This is about having people trained to identify the risk factors and keeping an eye out."

Cha added that he believes it's important for airlines to ensure its employees have specifically been trained to deal with in-flight sexual assaults and to also communicate that message effectively to passengers.

"Passengers must know the crew have been trained and are available to address inappropriate conduct," Cha said.

Contacted for comment about the lawsuit filed by Greenberg Gross and the broader issue of in-flight sexual assaults, a Southwest Airlines spokesperson declined to comment citing the pending litigation.

The airline also declined to comment on whether Southwest has a policy in place regarding how in-flight assaults are to be dealt with when they occur.

"Because of the sensitivity and security protocols, we��re not able to share details about this training program," said Southwest Spokesperson Dan Landson.

Assault Victims: Women and Children

The incident involving the 16-year-old boy is not isolated. A number of in-flight sexual assaults have made headlines over the past few years including:

A woman on a July 1, 2024 United Airlines flight bound for Detroit, Michigan from Dulles, Virginia who alleges she was sexually assaulted by a male sitting next to her.
A woman on a March 20, 2023, Delta Air Lines flight, who filed suit against both the airline and her alleged attacker for sexual assault on a flight from Phoenix, Arizona to Seattle, Washington.
The 2017 alleged rape of a woman on an overnight American Airlines flight from Phoenix, Arizona to New York.?
The sentencing of a 70-year-old man from North Carolina who pled guilty to groping a 15-year-old girl on a Delta flight from Atlanta to Seattle.

These cases offer merely a snapshot of an issue that's become increasingly troubling.

There's long been a perception among the public that when you're on an airplane "you're in a bubble of safety," FBI Special Agent Caryn Highley said back in 2018, as part of a press advisory on the topic of in-flight sexual assault.?

But with growing regularity, that perception has proven false.?

Dark airplane cabins and passengers seated in close quarters can be a tempting situation for perpetrators, the lawsuit filed by Greenberg Gross alleges. FBI advisories and articles on the issue say the victims oftentimes are seated in middle seats and are invariably women or children.

"Such victims often report waking up to their seatmate's hands inside their clothing or underwear," says the Greenberg Gross court filing. "To make matters worse, the offender who is closer to or on the aisle effectively barricades the victim so that he or she will have to get past the perpetrator to get out."

A December 2019 incident provides another vivid example of this scenario. The case, Nicole Cruz v Southwest Airlines, involved a 13-year-old girl who was separated from her mother and siblings on a Southwest flight from Las Vegas to San Antonio. The young girl was seated next to a 25-year-old man who boarded the plane visibly intoxicated. During the course of the flight, he allegedly sexually abused the young girl, including fondling her breasts under a blanket.

"Embarrassed and afraid, the minor was unable to scream and simply tried pushing his hand away," say court documents.

That case was later settled by Southwest Airlines before proceeding to a state jury trial in Texas.

Each of these incidents illustrate what Dr. Ann Olivarius, senior partner with McAllister Olivarius, has described as a failure to safeguard individuals from sexual abuse.

"Passengers are trapped on the plane and they don't know what to do," says Olivarius, who advocates for survivors of sexual abuse in civil court, pursuing legal action against both the abusers and the institutions that protect them.

As Olivarius sees it, there's systemic negligence that puts airline passengers at risk. Airlines need to take more action when they see a passenger getting on a plane clearly intoxicated, as drunk passengers are a common thread in many sexual assault incidents, Olivarius says.?

"There are already restrictions on how much liquor can be served onboard, but if flight crew see someone coming onboard inebriated, or who smells inebriated, should you have them fly?" she asks.

Olivarius also suggests airline employees having an increased presence in the aisles during flights could help address the issue. In addition,"mandatory reporting," must become the standard across the industry, which would involve the airline calling police to report in-flight assaults, "so that when a plane lands, police are at the plane door," says Olivarius.?

Industry Response

In 2018, as part of the FAA Reauthorization Act, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) established a task force called the ��National In-Flight Sexual Misconduct Task Force.��?

The task force's mission was to "review and evaluate current practices, protocols, and requirements of U.S. airlines in responding to and reporting allegations by passengers of sexual misconduct on board commercial aircraft."

The task force was also charged with developing recommendations on best practices relating to training, reporting, and data collection regarding incidents of sexual misconduct by passengers on commercial aircraft. In March 2020, the task force delivered its report on these issues to the DOT's Aviation Consumer Protection Advisory Committee (ACPAC).

However, the report has not yet been submitted to Congress.

When contacted for comment about the issue, American Airlines, which was the focus of the 2017 alleged rape case aboard one of its flights, said: ��There is nothing more important than the safety and security of our customers and team, and we are always deeply troubled by any allegation of misconduct onboard our aircraft or at any of our facilities."

Delta Air Lines did not respond to a request for comment from TravelPulse.

A spokesperson for United Airlines said the safety of customers and colleagues is the airline's top priority.?

"Sexual harassment, inappropriate behavior, and intimidation or predation have absolutely no place anywhere in our society -- including, and especially, on our aircraft," said United's spokesperson. "Our flight attendants receive training to recognize, address and respond to instances of sexual harassment on board our aircraft."

Meanwhile, Airlines for America, an organization whose mission is to advocate on behalf of its members, as well as shape policies and measures that promote "safety, security and a healthy U.S. airline industry,"? told TravelPulse that the organization's members take "these matters seriously and do not tolerate harassment in any form."

"Airlines strive to make sure every employee has a safe working environment and every passenger has a safe and pleasant travel experience," said Hannah Walden, director of communications for the organization. "Carriers address disruptive or inappropriate behavior toward crew or passengers as promptly as possible."

Tips to Help Prevent Sexual Assault?

It remains unclear whether any broad industry action will take place to more comprehensively address the issue of in-flight sexual assaults. The findings of the National In-Flight Sexual Misconduct Task Force still await Congressional review.

In the meantime, the FBI has published an advisory providing the following safety tips for individuals when flying, to help prevent sexual assault.

Offenders will often test their victims, sometimes pretending to brush against them to see how they react or if they wake up. If such behavior occurs, establish boundaries, and consider asking to be moved to another seat.
If your seatmate is a stranger, no matter how polite he or she may seem, keep the armrest between you down.
If you are arranging for a child to fly unaccompanied, try to reserve an aisle seat so flight attendants can keep a closer watch on them. Minors are known targets.
If an incident happens, report it immediately to the flight crew and ask that they record the attacker��s identity and report the incident. They can alert law enforcement, if necessary

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