Woman alleges passenger masturbated beside her on United Flight, crew ignored complaints – Report

A 25-year-old woman has alleged that a male passenger masturbated beside her during a United Airlines flight from Rochester, New York, to Newark, New Jersey, and that crew members later made her return to the seat beside him.

According to NBC News, the woman, a pediatric crisis therapist, said the man began touching himself while staring at her during the September 3 flight.

She reported the incident to the crew and was allowed to stand for part of the journey. However, she said she was instructed to return to her seat beside the man before landing because no other seats were available.

The passenger , New York Post reported, also alleged that United staff failed to alert authorities after landing. She subsequently reported the incident to the FAA, FBI and airline.

United said it was investigating the allegation, adding that customer and staff safety remained its top priority and that it had apologised to the passenger.