‘They didn’t protect me’: Woman sues United over alleged assault on flight from O’Hare
‘They didn’t protect me’: Woman sues United over alleged assault on flight from O’Hare
The Federal Aviation Administration says it’s gearing up for its busiest summer travel season in the last 15 years. In a Fox 32 special report, Kasey Chronis looks at why concerns about sexual assault on airplanes are growing.
CHICAGO - The Federal Aviation Administration says it’s gearing up for its busiest summer travel season in the last 15 years.
In a Fox 32 special report, Kasey Chronis looks at why concerns about sexual assault on airplanes are growing.
**We want to warn you, some of the details in this story are graphic.**
The alleged assault on board
The backstory:
"I no longer fly," said Aundrea White.
The last time White was on a plane was in January 2024. The Ohio businesswoman was on a layover at O’Hare Airport for a work trip when she boarded a United flight to San Diego.
"As I was putting my things under the seat, putting my phone in the back pocket of the chair in front of me, he reached over and grabbed between my legs," White said.
White was in the middle seat.
"I looked at him and told him not to touch me again," she said.
She stood up and looked for a flight attendant for help.
How the flight crew responded
"This flight attendant told me I was out of touch with reality if I thought we weren’t going to bump elbows on a full plane. I proceeded to tell him that we weren’t bumping elbows," she said.
White says the flight attendant also told her he couldn’t "kick" anyone off the plane.
"So when he (flight attendant) walked away, the individual who was next to me took that as an opportunity to grab me again. At this point, I yelled for the flight attendant again," White said.
What the lawsuit claims
According to the lawsuit White filed against United, the second time was worse.
It states the assailant "grabbed the plaintiff's crotch again, this time hard enough to leave a bruise."
The complaint also states that the flight attendant tried twice to move the assailant to another seat on the plane, but the other passengers refused to sit next to him.
The attendant finally escorted the man to the jet bridge where police later arrested him.
"I eventually picked up his backpack, tossed it to him and said he's so inebriated that he does not know that this is the luggage he carried on board," White said.
While prosecutors initially charged the offender with criminal sexual abuse, he later pled guilty to a battery charge.
"It’s very upsetting because this was an avoidable situation, a preventable situation," said Craig Tobin, White’s attorney. "But the sad reality is United doesn’t care."
"Also, what most passengers don’t know, there’s a federal regulation imposed on airlines that they are not allowed to allow anyone who appears - they don’t have to be intoxicated, they have to appear to be intoxicated - is not allowed to board that airplane," White said.
"And that's the defense that the airlines could use and should use when somebody's entering, getting on their aircraft," said aviation safety expert Keith Cianfrani.
"Flight attendants are busy trying to get ready to push back, so they don't always check all the different passengers, and sometimes these things happen and they squeak by. Now, that doesn’t mean all the sexual assaults were related to alcohol, but that seems to be the large majority of them," Cianfrani said.
What the FBI is seeing
By the numbers:
The FBI investigates crimes that occur aboard an aircraft. For sexual assaults on a plane, the bureau says 67 percent involved alcohol or drugs, offenders are typically a male who is seated directly next to the victim, and the victim is typically sitting in the middle or window seat.
"People should be vigilant and aware of their surroundings," said Ryan Maxwell, assistant special agent in charge at the FBI’s Chicago field office, who oversees operations at O’Hare and Midway airports. "The numbers of reports of sexual misconduct incidents aboard aircraft has increased. There may be incidents that have gone unreported."
The FBI says sexual assaults on planes have gone up 60 percent since 2019.
In that time, the bureau has been trying to make passengers "air aware" of this offense through a special public service campaign.
Why this keeps happening
Why you should care:
Cianfrani says there are a couple of reasons for the increase in cases.
"People are flying more and there's more delays at the airports for whatever reasons, air traffic control, it could be weather, especially at nighttime," Cianfrani said.
When there's a flight delay, Cianfriani says some passengers like to go to the airport bar and have a drink.
"And when they get on the aircraft, they're able to board because they're not basically screened," he added.
That’s not really something passengers like White want to hear.
She survived a sexual assault several years before boarding that plane back in January 2024. Not only did the flight affect her PTSD, she says she now has night terrors and flashbacks.
"I am more angry with that airline for taking things away from me than that man," White said. That airline, they can change. They have the ability to adopt new rules. The ability to implement new procedures."
Despite what happened in White’s case, if you believe you are in danger or have been a victim of sexual assault on a plane, the FBI says you should immediately contact a member of your flight crew so they can contact law enforcement.
The airline's response
The other side:
We reached out to United Airlines about this story. The company provided a statement, saying:
"We have zero tolerance for this type of behavior. After Ms. White alerted our crew to the alleged incident, a United employee promptly directed the accused passenger to deplane while the aircraft was still parked at the gate prior to departure. Our crew also requested assistance from local law enforcement, who then arrested the passenger."
The Source: For this story, the Fox 32 Chicago Special Projects team interviewed a woman who was a victim of a sexual assault while aboard a plane, her attorney who has represented other victims, a nationally known expert in federal aviation safety rules and regulations and an FBI agent from the Chicago Field Office.