Dems push to protect sexual assault victims on flights

A group of Senate Democrats is pressing federal officials to ensure that airline personnel are equipped to handle accusations of sexual assault on airplanes.

{mosads}In a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Department of Justice (DOJ), nearly two dozen senators said they are concerned that there are a lack of standards for how airline personnel should respond to mid-flight incidents.

“It is critical that no space be exempt from protection or devoid of support for survivors of sexual assault,” the lawmakers wrote. “We write to express our deep concern that airplanes appear to be just such a place.”

The letter is signed by 23 Democrats, including Sens. Patty Murray (Was.), Charles Schumer (N.Y.,) Patrick Leahy (Vt.), Bob Casey (Pa.), Barbara Boxer (Calif.) and Elizabeth Warren (Mass.).

The move comes weeks after a woman accused Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump of groping and fondling her on a flight more than 30 years ago. 

“He was like an octopus … his hands were everywhere,” Jessica Leeds told The New York Times last month. “It was an assault.” 

The senators said long-distance flights have characteristics that could make them a “particularly hazardous place,” since they often occur overnight, many guests sleep during the flights and attendants don’t always walk through the cabin.

One of the senator’s offices heard from an individual who said she was sexually assaulted by the person seated next to her on a long-distance flight. The victim was temporarily given a new seat, but the flight attendants asked return to her original seat for landing.

After she refused to go back to her seat, the flight attendants instead seated another male passenger next to the alleged attacker, offering him airline miles for his inconvenience.

“Unfortunately, the experience of this individual does not seem to be an isolated incident, as recent media reports have highlighted underreporting by airlines, apparent inadequacies in airline responses, and a lack of policy and guidance to address the issue,” they wrote.

The group is calling on the FAA and DOJ to convene a working group on the issue, collect data on the prevalence of sexual assaults on commercial flights and develop federal guidance for how to respond and report such incidents.

“All passengers should be able to travel without the worry of being sexually assaulted,” the senators said.