① Male Flight Attendant Caught Filming Female Passenger
A video recently surfaced, sparking controversy. The footage showed a female passenger wearing a skirt and a male flight attendant on duty.
The passenger had no choice but to walk past the working flight attendant to get to her seat. The male flight attendant held his phone at the time with the camera lens pointed upwards.
As the female passenger approached him, the flight attendant moved the position of his phone. As she walked down the aisle and moved away from him, the flight attendant reached out even further with his phone in hand.
② Hidden Camera Found in Airplane Bathroom
This is not the first time a flight attendant has been caught trying to film passengers secretly. In September last year, a male flight attendant from a U.S. airline was arrested on charges of secretly installing a camera in the bathroom.
The incident occurred in the first-class bathroom of an American Airlines flight from North Carolina to Boston.
At the time, a teenage female passenger was heading to the bathroom to wash her hands. A male flight attendant approached her and asked for her understanding, saying, “Please use the bathroom after I check it.” After a while, when the check was over, the female passenger entered the bathroom.
However, the passenger discovered an object suspected to be a hidden camera. The passenger immediately warned her acquaintances and other passengers not to use the bathroom and reported it to the airport police as soon as the plane landed.
After receiving the report, local police started an investigation, but American Airlines did not clearly state whether the male flight attendant had installed a hidden camera.
③ Passengers Illegally Filming Flight Attendants
Flight attendants are also suffering from hidden cameras or unauthorized filming by passengers. Among the female flight attendants of a Japanese airline, 3 out of 5 have experienced such incidents. In 2019, the ‘Air Union,’ a Japanese aviation industry trade union, surveyed cabin crew members.
As a result, more than 60% of the respondents said they had experienced unauthorized filming by passengers while working in the cabin. This includes both clear cases (22.1%) and cases where they were suspicious (39.5%).
Even in clear cases, only about 40% took direct measures, such as handing the filming passenger to the police or asking the passenger to delete the footage.
The reasons for not taking measures included ‘the passenger refused to confirm the photos in the camera’ and ‘intimidated by threatening behavior such as posting unfair treatment on social media.’
A female flight attendant in her 30s from a large domestic airline discovered a male passenger trying to film under her skirt. The passenger had drilled a hole in the front of his sock and hid a camera inside.
The flight attendant immediately checked the passenger’s camera. Inside, there were pictures of other female flight attendants’ skirts. The airline handed the passenger over to the police, but he was released shortly after due to insufficient evidence.
Meanwhile, in 2017, the punishment for illegal activities on board was strengthened by more than double through the amendment of the Aviation Security Act. However, with such incidents continuously occurring, the effectiveness of these measures is being questioned.
By. Kim Min Jae
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