Another family is suing American Airlines after their 9 year old daughter was recorded by a flight attendant using a bathroom during their flight.
This flight attendant has been arrested and charged with taking video of five young girls on separate flights as they go to the lavatory. This was discovered after a 14 year old girl reported being asked to wait to use the lav, and then invited in where she found an iPhone taped to the toilet to watch her.
The 9 year old learned about the incident when FBI officers showed up at their home, since they’d found more content on the crewmember’s phone than just the one incident that was first reported. The family had flown from Austin to Los Angeles “for a gymnastics competition and visit to Disneyland.”
It felt like we were living in a nightmare when the FBI showed up on our doorstep to tell us that our daughter had been secretly filmed by an American Airlines flight attendant during a family trip to Disneyland… Since then, our daughter has struggled with fear and anxiety. We are doing everything we can to support her during this traumatic time. An important part of our family’s healing is making sure that the flight attendant and American Airlines are held accountable for what happened to our daughter. We hope that this lawsuit is the first step in making sure nothing like this ever happens to another family.
Photo of iPhone In Lavatory Of 14 Year Old’s Flight, Credit: Lewis & Llewellyn LLP
According to the FBI, “still images and videos of the girl’s face, unclothed buttocks and genitalia were found on the iCloud account of” the flight attendant. The FBI’s investigation found that this 9 year old wasn’t the youngest girl filmed by the flight attendant.
According to American Airlines in response to the first lawsuit, they’re “not liable for acts or crimes of its employees” even during the course of their duties. And, presumably, buying a ticket on American Airlines carries no implied promise that you won’t be filmed naked in the lavatory so it’s not like they broke any contractual obligation to the customer?
An on duty crewmember in a position of authority, placed there for passenger safety by the airline, committed a crime against the customer. Seeking to dismiss the claims of passengers after an incident like this, rather than quickly coming to a settlement (even if better from a bargaining standpoint) is a bad look. This probably makes me especially angry as a father who flies American Airlines with his daughter.
The right thing to do is take responsibility for the safety of passengers, because this airline – like all others – emphasizes that safety is their number one priority. And that didn’t happen here.
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