DWC in the News

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United Airlines must explain how it trains flight crews to handle sexual misconduct midair after a recent incident in which the airline refused to find another seat for a woman who complained a man seated next to her was masturbating, the Democratic Women’s Caucus said in a letter Tuesday.

“Her discomfort about returning to her seat was ignored multiple times,” reads the letter. “This story is all too familiar — a woman does what is considered ‘the right thing’ and is still not taken seriously by those who are supposed to keep her safe.”

The incident, now under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration, suggests the airline doesn’t take sexual misconduct seriously enough, according to the letter, which demands the Chicago-based carrier answer five questions, including how it defines sexual assault and trains flight crews to handle it. United is investigating the incident on the Sept. 3 United Express flight operated by Republic Airways, according to a spokesperson.

Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), who led the effort, said United’s responses could determine whether changes to federal law are necessary to prevent similar incidents in the future. A reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act is one way that lawmakers could address related issues next year, according to Dingell.

“A woman should be able to get on a plane and feel safe, and not have to worry that the person next to her is going to make some kind of sexual threats,” she said in an interview.