Woman Sues American Airlines After Drunk Passenger Allegedly Assaulted Her As Plane Hurtled Down Runway
- The victim couldn't have been more unlucky - after escaping the drunken creep at an airport bar, she boarded her flight only to find he was sitting right next to her.
A property management entrepreneur is suing American Airlines and one of its regional jet providers, SkyWest, for negligence after flight attendants failed to prevent a visibly drunk man from boarding. He allegedly went on to sexually assault the victim as the plane was hurtling down the runway for takeoff.
Amber Craven, vice president of a property management firm based in Portland, filed her lawsuit against American and SkyWest this week in an Oregon district court, demanding damages for the flight attendant’s failure to stop the “clearly intoxicated” perpetrator boarding the plane.
The alleged assault occurred on December 10, 2024, as Amber was traveling home after a business trip in Missouri.
Her journey home involved taking a SkyWest flight from Missouri to Dallas and then connecting through to Portland. Unfortunately, the first flight was badly delayed, and she found herself in an airport bar and restaurant as she waited out the delay.
Amber says she was talking to a married couple in the bar, but sat close to them was a single cowboy hat-wearing male who wanted to tell her about his career as a songwriter and insider gossip happening in the music industry.
As the man shared this gossip with Amber, it became very obvious just how much alcohol he was drinking.
“He ordered a beer and a shot, and then another beer, and another shot, and more,” the complaint, which has been reviewed by PYOK, alleges.
As the man became increasingly intoxicated, he stopped talking about the music industry and focused his attention on Amber, telling her she was “beautiful” and “sexy.”
Amber was not feeling the love. In fact, the man’s attention made her feel so uncomfortable that she decided to pay her tab and quickly leave the bar. On the way out, she even asked another patron to keep an eye on the man and make sure he didn’t follow her towards the restroom.
When the flight was finally ready to board, the man stumbled out of the bar, oblivious to the fact that he hadn’t paid his tab. He had to be chased down by the waitress, and when he then attempted to pay, his credit card was declined.
Other passengers on Amber’s flight were convinced the man would be denied boarding because he was so drunk, but despite reeking of alcohol, the man wasn’t stopped by either the gate agents or the flight attendants.
As Amber boarded the plane, she checked her seat number and realized that the man from the bar was sitting right beside her.
The man couldn’t contain his excitement, telling Amber: “This is my lucky day.” Even that short sentence was, however, slurred because he was so drunk.
Amber tried to ignore the man. She put her headphones in and kept to herself but the man repeatedly bumped and rubbed up against her. As the plane lined up on the runway for takeoff, the man used the opportunity to start groping her.
With the plane now accelerating down the runway for takeoff, the man began to forcibly sexually assault Amber, the lawsuit alleges. She tried to push him away and yelled out for help, but the flight attendants couldn’t immediately help because the plane was still taking off.
“Help, I need to move to a different seat,” Amber screamed as she tried to get the attention of a flight attendant. “This man is completely on top of me, and I need to move now!”
The flight attendant jumped out of her seat even though the plane was still in its initial ascent and observed the man assaulting Amber. She was whisked to another seat, but she remained distraught for the remainder of the flight.
On arrival in Dallas, the police were waiting to meet the aircraft, where the man was taken into custody.
Although the flight crew reacted quickly to Amber’s complaint, the lawsuit alleges that Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations are clear – the man should never have been allowed on the aircraft in the first place.
Amber says that the negligent actions of American Airlines and SkyWest have resulted in her suffering extreme emotional distress. To this day, she still suffers from depression, struggles to sleep, and is afraid of flying.
Worrying rise in in-flight sexual assaults
Sadly, Amber’s story is not an isolated case. Federal prosecutors have warned of a ‘disturbing’ rise in in-flight sexual assaults, and the FBI has seen a marked increase in reported incidents over the last few years.
Mary Ellen Stone, the CEO at the King County Sexual Assault Resource Center, says that young women aged between 16 and 19 are most at risk of sexual assault, but many young victims are scared to speak out because they think they might be causing trouble.
“On aircraft, other passengers and crew can disrupt these behaviors,” Stone said. “Crews can take steps to separate the victim from the person causing harm, and above all, avoid minimizing any behavior that is making someone else uncomfortable.”
Why Speaking Up Matters, According to Flight Attendants
In many in-flight sexual assault incidents, there is an understandable point at which victims are scared to speak up. They try to make themselves small and shield away from the perpetrator, hoping that they might stop.
Although the aviation industry can do more, airlines are now trying to empower crew members to take action if they receive reports of unwanted attention. Speak up early… flight attendants can then take immediate action to swap seat assignments, or even reassess whether someone should be allowed to fly.
