Two women sue Frontier Airlines, claim staff didn't help them after they were sexually assaulted midair
Two women are reportedly suing Frontier Airlines after claiming that they were sexually assaulted on separate flights of the airline during 2018. The airline employees did not help them collect evidence nor did they alert the police, according to the women.
The women, in their suit, have claimed that they were assaulted by male passengers on two separate occasions and they alerted the flight attendants in their planes about the incidents, CNN reported. The flight attendants, however, did nothing to help them. The did not report the incident, contact law enforcement or help them get evidence. The employees did not ascertain the identities of the men accused, the suit added.
The lawsuit does not mention the names of the alleged assailants or flight attendants. The women also slammed Frontier in their suit of failing "to have and/or follow policies and procedures to prevent, report, and respond to sexual assault of its passengers on its flights," the outlet reported.
Frontier spokeswoman Jennifer de la Cruz declined to comment on the women's claims. De la Cruz, however, said that an investigation has been launched into the case, adding that the "safety of our passengers and crew members is our number one priority."
"However, I can tell you that the safety of our passengers and crew members is our number one priority at Frontier Airlines and we have strict policies in place to proactively and appropriately respond to reports of misconduct and alleged crimes," De la Cruz said in an email to The Hill.
Sexual assault on flights have become a growing concern for law enforcement. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the number of sexual assaults reported during commercial airline flights has been increasing "at an alarming rate."
The federal agency stated that sexual incidents midair increased by 66 percent between fiscal 2014 and fiscal 2017.