Federal prosecutors in Seattle charged two men with sexual assault aboard airplanes, violations that have become an increasingly recognized problem for passengers, the airline industry and flight crews, the New York Times reports. The FBI has campaigned in recent months to encourage victims and witnesses of sexual assault aboard airplanes to come forward, during flights or once on the ground. “We need the flying public’s help, and the sooner you report, the better,” said U.S. Attorney Annette Hayes. Over the last four years, the number of cases of sexual assault on aircraft investigated by the FBI. has grown by 30 percent. Authorities anticipate that more reports will emerge as pressure mounts for the airline industry to address assaults,.
Alaska, United and Spirit airlines have announced new policies and efforts to keep passengers and crews safe, but many other airlines have been silent. In one case filed Thursday, a woman on an Alaska Airlines flight from Anchorage to Seattle in March said a man repeatedly grabbed her breasts and thighs, even as she told him to stop. The second case involved a Norwegian Airlines flight from London to Seattle in January, in which a woman said she spent hours fending off another passenger. The woman said she then fell asleep and awoke to find the man’s hand inside her underwear, touching her vagina, and with her hand placed on his erect penis. Flight crews responded when they found the woman in the rear of the plane, on the floor, curled up in the fetal position between the galley and the restrooms. Flight crews have no police powers and cannot make arrests.