A fashion brand founder who was allegedly sexually assaulted on a Delta Airlines flight says the crew neglected to properly assist her — and tossed her a travel voucher for her trouble. “I’m finally able to speak about this story of how I woke up to being sexually assaulted on my @Delta flight home from Chicago to LA last month,” Los Angeles-based Delany Eva Luh tweeted Friday.
Luh wrote that on a June 16 flight from Chicago to Los Angeles, she was seated between two male strangers. At one point, she says, she fell asleep and awoke to find that her intoxicated seat mate was shoving his hands down her leggings. “In a state of panic, I freaked out and begun crying to get the flight attendants attention,” she tweeted. “Once I calmed down, they changed my seat for the remainder of the 2 hours left and told me they would handle the situation when we landed.”
The woman was made to believe that once the plane had landed, she would be escorted off the flight and that the man, whom she identifies as “Will,” would be arrested. Unfortunately, this was not the case, and Luh learned that the man who she claims sexually assaulted her had left the airport. Luh says Delta issued a $200 (£153) travel voucher to her, which didn’t even cover the cost of her flight. She also says that when Los Angeles police officers arrived, they told her that Delta had not followed protocol.
The woman is encouraging others to stand up and speak up for themselves if they are ever sexually assaulted. She believes that had she voiced her concerns more openly, then the situation would have ended differently. She continued, “Don’t let society and fear keep you quiet. This behavior is not acceptable.” [sic] Luh hash-tagged her message #MeToo. Luh and representatives from Delta and the Los Angeles Police Department did not return Yahoo Lifestyle‘s request for comment.
On Saturday, the airline tweeted an apology and requested Luh send them a direct message in hopes to make the situation “right.” Delta spokesman Trebor Banstetter also told local news station KTLA that the events Luh recounted were “unacceptable,” saying: “The incident was reported to local and federal law enforcement shortly after the aircraft landed. We have reached out to Ms. Luh for more information on this incident.”
According to recent statistics released by the FBI, reported cases of sexual assault on airplanes are on the rise. According to CNN, the FBI said that between 2014 and 2017, such incidents increased by 66 percent. Brian Nadeau, assistant special agent in the Baltimore FBI division, said that’s probably a conservative estimate, given that many victims don’t report their abuse. “I’m shocked at the number of passengers who do not take that act and they’ll wait until the plane is on the ground,” agent David Rodski told CNN, adding that taking action “allows us to do the investigation, collect witnesses, get the flight crew for statements prior to everyone departing for their next destination.”
Agent Gary Loeffer also told Newsweek: “The attacks generally occur on long-haul flights when the cabin is dark. The victims are usually in the middle or window seats. The victims are usually sleeping and covered with a blanket or jacket.” Yahoo
