opinion

Yes, it's okay to ask men to move seats on an airplane.

 

Some news stories hit you in the stomach as you read them and leave you feeling winded because the suffering was so preventable. They stick in your head and your heart breaks for the victim, over and over again. This is one of those.

 A 13-year-old girl was travelling from Dallas, Texas to Portland, Oregon on June 16 after visiting her father. She boarded the American Airlines flight and soon after, 26-year-old Chad Cameron Camp also boarded. The flight was half empty, but despite being advised by a flight attendant that other seats were available, he chose to sit in a middle seat, police said. Declining the offer to move, he said, “I’m fine”, according to reports.
When the flight attendant returned around thirty minutes later she noticed a “single tear coming down the victim’s cheek.” She saw his hand on the teenager’s knee and upper thigh, according to the complaint, which states, “she was touched over 15 times.”

The girl was moved to the front of the plane, Camp to the back. When the plane landed, he was arrested and charged with abusive sexual contact, according to the FBI. He is being held without bail and reportedly has no previous criminal convictions. The girl was taken for questioning and reportedly jumped every time her mum tried to give her a comforting touch.

Reading this chain of events makes me feel sick to the stomach. Moving the girl after the loathsome, nauseating damage was done is far too little, too late. Why was the man not forced to move? Why was he simply offered an alternative seat? Why were there no alarm bells ringing in flight attendants minds? Where is the duty of care from the airline to protect her?

It’s reported that her parents paid American Airlines an extra $300 to let an unaccompanied minor travel alone. Whatever that figure is, it’s irrelevant. You don’t receive better care for more money – it’s not a sliding scale of safety. If the price is set, taking all considerations into account, that unaccompanied minor needs to be protected during the flight. There isn’t a figure in the world that people wouldn’t pay to protect their loved ones.

"Just last week, there was debate on TV about whether it’s ok to ask a man to move seats on a plane. My response is simple; move." Image: iStock.
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So how did this happen? The problem is this; airlines have come under fire and faced public uproar after men have claimed it is sexual discrimination to be asked to move. Airline policies regarding unaccompanied minor services (UNMR) differ, details are found on their websites. More airlines’ policies used to bar men from sitting next to unaccompanied minors entirely but have been forced to revise following legal action.

 In 2010, a Luxumbourgian businessman complained he had been treated like a “child molester” by airline staff asking him to move successfully sued British Airways.

In 2012, an Australian firefighter said he felt like a “paedophile” when a Virgin Australia flight attendant asked him to move from his seat next to two unaccompanied boys. Virgin was forced to consider its policy after a huge media storm and other airlines have also come under fire for similar policies including Qantas and Air New Zealand.

Just last week, there was debate on TV about whether it’s ok to ask a man to move seats on a plane. My response is simple; move.

 It is not a reflection of your character; there isn’t time for character or reference checks when boarding a plane. Your motives aren’t labeled on your hand luggage. Your potential embarrassment or inconvenience is nothing compared to the potential risk of harm to an unattended minor. Firm policies have to be made around worst-case scenarios to keep people safe.

It’s not about you; it’s about safety. It’s about making sure a flight attendant doesn’t come down the aisle to serve drinks and see a tear running down a teenage girl’s cheek. It’s about making sure she isn’t escorted off the plane and taken shaking to a room to be questioned. It’s about making sure a 13-year-old girl doesn’t say she never wants to travel on a plane again and jump when her own mum tries to put her arms around her to comfort her. It’s about the lifelong damage, psychological scars and flashbacks that will haunt her. It’s not about you.

 Sometimes in life, we all have to swallow our pride and see the bigger picture rather than focusing on a dented ego. Smile; don’t delve into your own mind about whether you’re being wronged, pick up your hand luggage and move.

For more from Corrine, follow her on Facebook here.

Watch: Cabin crew of airlines reveal the truth about flying.

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