The Liberty Daily 
(The Daily Caller)—A United Airlines passenger says she was forced to return to her seat next to a man who allegedly masturbated while staring at her during a September flight, receiving only a $100 credit as consolation.
The 25-year-old woman was traveling from Rochester, New York, to Newark Liberty International Airport on Sept. 3 aboard a flight operated by United Express partner Republic Airways when the man seated beside her allegedly began masturbating, NBC News reported. The woman, who estimated the man was between 35 and 40 years old, described him as initially appearing “unassuming” and “pretty normal looking,” before reporting the incident to flight attendants.
“I just got the sense [he] had done it before,” the woman told NBC News. “People don’t just do those things at 6 AM.” The passenger said the man stared at her while allegedly masturbating and that she quickly alerted the flight crew.
“The safety of our customers and colleagues is our top priority. We take these matters seriously and are looking into what happened,” United told The Daily Caller News Foundation. “We have been in contact with the customer and apologized for her experience.”
Flight attendants initially allowed the woman to leave her seat, but the flight was full and she was left standing in the aisle to avoid sitting beside the man, NBC News reported. She said flight attendants later told her she would have to return to her seat for landing.
The woman said she was initially told she would only have to remain beside the man for roughly five minutes before landing, but claimed she ultimately had to sit there for longer, according to NBC News.
The man was allegedly allowed to leave the aircraft after it landed without being stopped, NBC News reported. The woman subsequently filed complaints with United and the Federal Aviation Administration and contacted the FBI herself, according to People.
United subsequently provided the woman with a $100 flight credit, according to TMZ. She said the trip had cost roughly $400.
United told TMZ that the airline was “looking into this report,” but did not say whether law enforcement had been contacted.
