In an Instagram post from last week, Chicago-based photographer Genevieve Pascolla, 26, claimed that during a June 4 United Airlines flight from London to Chicago, flight attendants made “jokes” after moving her away from a man reportedly masturbating in the seat next to her.
“They were excusing his disgusting behavior and making jokes,” Pascolla explained to BuzzFeed News. “I understand you can’t control the situation, but you can control how you handle it.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BlNp6VuHB_G/?taken-by=genevieve.f.p
According to her Instagram post, Pascolla “woke up and saw him touching himself under a blanket,” she took a video of the incident (above), woke up the woman next to her, and went to tell a flight attendant. The woman next to Pascolla also allegedly saw what was happening and got up. Per Pascolla’s account, “the attendants checked and confirmed that he was masturbating in public” and then gave both women new seats.
However, the flight attendants also allegedly made jokes about the incident when Pascolla said this had happened to her before on public transportation. The flight attendants allegedly asked “What perfume are you wearing?” and said of the man, “He’s had a bit of wine.”
When reached for comment, a United spokesperson told Fortune that “[i]nappropriate and offensive conduct like this on our aircraft is exceedingly rare, but we have a protocol to ensure our customers’ safety because it is our top priority.” Explaining that “customers were promptly moved to different seats in a different section of the plane and law enforcement officials were summoned in advance to meet the perpetrator when the plane pulled into the gate.”
The spokesperson also said that United contacted Pascolla on the day of her flight for a “wellness check.”
Pascolla, however, claims that after deplaning a “security guard” asked her if she wanted an apology from the perpetrator, which she “immediately rejected.” She also posted a screenshot of an alleged email from United apologizing for the “uncomfortable situation.” She told BuzzFeed News that after tweeting about the ordeal, part of her flight was compensated via a voucher. Fortune has attempted to contact Pascolla and will update this story if we receive a response.
