US: Flight attendants say airlines have failed to address sexual harassment

Despite the growth of the #MeToo movement, nearly 1 in 5 flight attendants say they have been the victims of physical sexual harassment in the last year — and have seen no efforts by their managers to address the problem. A survey of more than 3,500 flight attendants from 29 airlines in the US found that 35% of flight attendants say they have experienced verbal harassment, with 18% saying they have been physically abused by passengers over the last year. According to the survey released by the Assn. of Flight Attendants-CWA, 68% of flight attendants have experienced some form of sexual harassment during their careers. But only 7% of flight attendances who have experienced abuse have reported it, the survey found. Those flight attendants who have been physically harassed say it includes having their breasts, buttocks and crotch area "touched, felt, pulled, grabbed, groped, slapped, rubbed and fondled," according to the survey. More than two-thirds of flight attendants say they noticed no efforts by their employers to address the problem in the last year. "Flight attendants must be confident that airline executives will back them up when they respond to and report harassment of crew and passengers," said Sara Nelson, president of the association, which represents 50,000 flight attendants from 20 airlines.<br/>