Photo: AsiaWire
Flight attendants on an EVA Air flight from Los Angeles to Taipei were sexually harassed by a foreign passenger who was overweight and immobilized in a wheelchair, one flight attendant has told the national media.
The man, who has a history of causing trouble on EVA Air, claimed he needed assistance to go to the bathroom, and ultimately forced the all-female staff to attend to his every need, from getting him on the toilet to wiping his bottom when he was done, Focus Taiwan reports.
One of the flight attendants is now accusing EVA of not backing its staff when sexually harassed. With backing from the Taoyuan Flight Attendants Union, she’s asking the airline to sue the passenger for forcing her and her colleagues to do something that went beyond their responsibilities.
To make matters worse, this wasn’t the first time the man caused trouble on a flight from EVA. In May last year, he defecated on himself and inconvenienced both staff and fellow fliers. Despite this, EVA did not blacklist him from flying with them again.
This time, he claimed he needed help to go number 2. He insisted that the staff leave the bathroom door open on claims that he couldn’t breathe otherwise, slapped their hands away when they tried to hide his modesty with a blanket and ultimately got them to wipe his butt for him.
“I felt that as a flight attendant, removing a passenger’s underwear was beyond the scope of my responsibilities,” the flight attendant said during a press conference, as cited by the outlet. “I told him we couldn’t help him, but he started yelling. He told me to go in there immediately and threatened to relieve himself on the floor.”
In response, EVA Air says that all flight attendants can refuse passengers if they believe what is being asked of them is inappropriate. They also say one male member of the flight crew assisted the flight attendants in this case, and they promise they will sue the man if the female staff wish to pursue this course of action.
One of the flight attendants is now accusing EVA of not backing its staff when sexually harassed. With backing from the Taoyuan Flight Attendants Union, she’s asking the airline to sue the passenger for forcing her and her colleagues to do something that went beyond their responsibilities.
To make matters worse, this wasn’t the first time the man caused trouble on a flight from EVA. In May last year, he defecated on himself and inconvenienced both staff and fellow fliers. Despite this, EVA did not blacklist him from flying with them again.
This time, he claimed he needed help to go number 2. He insisted that the staff leave the bathroom door open on claims that he couldn’t breathe otherwise, slapped their hands away when they tried to hide his modesty with a blanket and ultimately got them to wipe his butt for him.
“I felt that as a flight attendant, removing a passenger’s underwear was beyond the scope of my responsibilities,” the flight attendant said during a press conference, as cited by the outlet. “I told him we couldn’t help him, but he started yelling. He told me to go in there immediately and threatened to relieve himself on the floor.”
In response, EVA Air says that all flight attendants can refuse passengers if they believe what is being asked of them is inappropriate. They also say one male member of the flight crew assisted the flight attendants in this case, and they promise they will sue the man if the female staff wish to pursue this course of action.
Google News