Airline Bans Man From Flying After Touching Flight Attendant

Airline Bans Man From Flying After Touching Flight Attendant

Recent months have seen a great deal of harassment against women coming out into the public, leading to movements like the #MeToo movement encouraging women to come forward when harassed or assaulted by men.

Alaska Airlines is taking a harassment claim seriously from a passenger on board one of their flights.  An Alaska Airlines flight attendant claims the first-class passenger grabbed her butt on a flight on December 26, 2017.  The man he claims he touched the flight attendant politely on the back in order to get her attention.  The accused, Mike Timon, Claims the police met him upon arrival of the aircraft in San Diego.

The airline is taking the charge so seriously that it has banned the man from flying the airline.  According to the San Diego Union-Tribune:

Alaska Airlines spokeswoman Ann Johnson declined to discuss specifics of the Dec. 26 incident, citing an open investigation. But she did say in a statement issued Thursday that Alaska “will not be providing further transport to the offending passenger,” pending the investigation outcome.

“Alaska Airlines will not tolerate any type of sexual misconduct that creates an unsafe environment for our guests and crew members and we are fully committed to do our part to address this serious issue,” she said.

The report also says that when the drink he requested didn’t come, he hit the flight attendant call button.  A male flight attendant came back and notified Mr. Timon that he was being cut off from more alcohol, he was accused of assaulting the flight attendant, and police were waiting in San Diego.  Mr. Timon claims he had only had one drink and was “100 percent sober.”

The man may file a lawsuit against the company.