A 23-year-old woman was en route to North Macedonia by plane when a man sexually molested her. The incident is now being investigated.
For weeks, HF from Lucerne had been looking forward to their holidays in North Macedonia. But the flight from Zurich to Skopje became a nightmare for the 23-year-old. A strange man sat in her row across the aisle. “He was about 45 and pretty normal.” Both passengers would not have direct neighbors. At first the flight was completely normal. “But after about an hour, the man suddenly started looking at me and touching his pants between my legs.”
H. was shocked: “He just wouldn’t stop. I had no idea what to do. It was incredibly disgusting.” In particular, the fact that it all happened in a room from which the woman from Lucerne was not allowed to leave was bad for her. “I could have just gotten off the train or the tram, but I was stuck for two hours on the plane.”
“The flight attendants’ reaction was like a slap in the face”
At first H. just sat there, petrified. “I’d like to scold you, but I didn’t want to make a scene in front of the other passengers.” After a few minutes, however, she gathered her courage, stood up and informed the stewards of the situation. However, the flight attendants’ reaction was like a slap in the face to the 23-year-old: “They just said they couldn’t do anything because they didn’t see the incident.” They only agreed when asked if she could switch places. “I thought they were helping me. Instead, I felt alone.”
H. spent the rest of the flight dazed and scared in her new seat. “I was lucky to get off the plane before the man reached Skopje – so I didn’t have to see him again.” When H. returned to Switzerland, she presented herself to the airline and the police to find out what the next possible steps would be. “I know it will probably be difficult to hold the man accountable, but I’m considering filing a complaint.”
Internal investigation initiated
Chair Airlines is aware of the incident on board the flight to Skopje. “According to crew statements, the passenger asked if she could change her seat, which she was able to do.” According to the press office, there were no reports of sexual harassment at the time. However, an internal investigation was launched. “We take these incidents very seriously and are treating this case with the highest priority.” If necessary, the responsible authorities will be involved.
The airline has never had an incident like alleged sexual harassment before. According to the press office, the teams are trained to deal with unusual situations. In addition to emergency scenarios, this also includes dealing with unruly passengers and conflict management. In general, the airline advises passengers to report such incidents immediately to the crew, who will be able to alleviate the situation and take further action.
Rfi of the navigation account, time of 20 minutes 08/28/2023, 21:27 | Act: 08/28/2023, 21:27