The Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Aviation Consumer Protection Advisory Committee (ACPAC) has received the National In-Flight Sexual Misconduct Task Force’s report on in-flight sexual misconduct on commercial flights.
The Task Force received accounts from passengers and flight attendants who experienced in-flight sexual misconduct, as well as actions that were taken by airlines and law enforcement after the occurrences. In-flight sexual misconduct complaints filed with the federal government were also reviewed by the panel.
The ACPAC is expected to consider the report in making recommendations to Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao later this year.
The analysis also assessed existing practices with regard to reporting, data collection, and training on responding to and addressing in-flight sexual misconduct allegations, in addition to focusing on awareness, reporting, data collection, and training suitable for enhancement and development.
Task force members expressed confidence in the examination and adoption of its recommendations would result in enhanced awareness, reporting practices, data collection, and training – improving responses to sexual misconduct incidents occurring on commercial aircraft and reducing incidents.
Chao established the National In-Flight Sexual Misconduct Task Force (Task Force) as a subcommittee of ACPAC on Feb. 11, 2019. The task force acknowledged while the report is passenger-centered, recommendation implementation may also improve responses to reduce sexual misconduct experienced by flight attendants.