Sexual Assaults On Airplanes Increasing At 'Alarming Rate': FBI

HANOVER, MD — The number of sexual assaults aboard aircraft is increasing, authorities said last week, and inappropriate touching or aggravated assaults happen most often on lengthier, overnight flights. Agents from the FBI Baltimore office held a news conference to urge victims to immediately notify flight crews of unwanted touching during flights, which is a federal crime, and offered tips fliers can follow for their safety.

The FBI says the number of sexual assaults on board planes was at 38 in 2014, and increased to 63 last year, although agents know not every attack is reported. FBI Agent David Rodski said the number of reported assaults in the skies are “increasing … at an alarming rate.” Maryland Transportation Authority Police confirmed that the most recent incident happened on May 29.

Many victims are seated in middle or window seats, are covered by a blanket or a jacket, and are often asleep when they are assaulted, agents said. Victims range from children to adults; most of the incidents happen in the back of planes.

Predators will first test their victims and see if they wake-up when groped. "Our greatest challenge that we have is when people report these things after. We need them to be reported immediately to the crew so that law enforcement can greet that aircraft, so we can detain both the subject, the victim, and the witnesses as well," said FBI Special Agent David Rodski, Airport Liaison, reports WMAR.

Particularly on overnight flights, where people may consume alcohol or take sleeping pills, and a dark cabin and close-quarter seating can give the perception of privacy and intimacy, offenders are tempted by opportunity, authorities said.

“Unfortunately, people don’t think things like this happen on airplanes,” said Caryn Highley, a special agent in the FBI’s Seattle Division who investigates crimes aboard aircraft, in a news release. “There is a perception on an airplane that you’re in a bubble of safety,” Highley said.

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Flights become terrifying ordeals for passengers who are assaulted. “One thing most of them say is they’re wondering, ‘What did I do? Was it something I did, said?'” FBI Victim Specialist Renee Murrell said, reports WJZ.

NPR reports the number of sexual assaults on commercial airline flights have increased from 38 in 2014 to 63 in 2017. A recent survey by the Association of Flight Attendants says an estimated one in five flight attendants have seen a passenger being sexually assaulted or had an assault reported to them. Nearly one in five flight attendants have been sexually assaulted themselves and 70 percent say they've been sexually harassed while on a plane.

Allison Dvaladze was flying from Seattle to Amsterdam for work in April 2016 when she was sexually assaulted three times by the man seated next to her before she was able to get out of her seat and run to the back of the plane to crew members. But Dvaladze told NPR that the flight attendants lacked training in what to do, and authorities were not called to meet the plane so she could report the crime. Instead Delta Airlines offered her 10,000 frequent flier miles for her "inconvenience"; she is suing the airline for its inadequate training, support and protocols to sexual assaults during flights.

With record fliers expected to travel this summer, the FBI is trying to raise awareness about this issue so people can protect themselves and report incidents immediately if they occur. “There are all sorts of people in the air, just like on the ground,” FBI Special Agent David Gates said. “Flyers need to be aware of their surroundings and take a few simple precautions to stay safe.”

Precautions the FBI urges travelers to take:

• Trust your gut. Offenders will often test their victims, sometimes pretending to brush against them to see how they react or if they wake up. “Don’t give them the benefit of the doubt,” Gates said. If such behavior occurs, reprimand the person immediately, and consider asking to be moved to another seat.
• Recognize that mixing alcohol with sleeping pills or other medication on an overnight flight increases your risk. “Don’t knock yourself out with alcohol or drugs,” Gates said.
• If your seatmate is a stranger, no matter how polite he or she may seem, keep the armrest between you down.
• If you are arranging for a child to fly unaccompanied, try to reserve an aisle seat so flight attendants can keep a closer watch on them. Highley has seen victims as young as 8 years old.
• If an incident happens, report it immediately to the flight crew and ask that they record the attacker’s identity and report the incident. “Flight attendants and captains represent authority on the plane,” Gates said in a press release. “We don’t want them to be police officers, but they can alert law enforcement, and they can sometimes deal with the problem in the air.” The flight crew can also put the offender on notice, which might prevent further problems.

“It doesn’t matter when you report an in-flight sexual assault—we take it seriously, and we will pursue it,” Gates said. “But after the fact, these cases are much more difficult to prove.”

In most cases, when assaults are immediately reported to the flight crew, law enforcement on the ground will be notified and will be waiting to respond when the plane lands. If law enforcement is not able to respond on the ground, victims are encouraged to contact the nearest FBI office after landing.

Offenders take advantage of the fact that some victims might not report an incident because they are embarrassed, don’t want to cause a scene, or try to convince themselves the assault was accidental.

Photo of news conference at Baltimore Washington International Airport courtesy of the FBI's Baltimore office