Man commits lewd act for an hour next to female passenger on American Airlines, cabin crew says ‘men just do stuff like that’

Man caught in lewd act on American Airlines, cabin crew dismisses it

A female CEO flying American Airlines’ premium economy was subjected to a horrifying ordeal when the man next to her allegedly masturbated for an hour — and flight attendants did nothing to stop it.

When she reported the incident, a crew member dismissed her concerns, allegedly saying: “Men just do stuff like that.”

Outraged, she is now suing American Airlines for negligence and emotional distress.

Man masturbates beside female passenger after drinking champagne

According to The New York Post, Neel Elsherif, the CEO of three companies, including a luxury fashion brand, has filed a lawsuit against American Airlines for the incident that occurred last year.

On 27 May 2024, she boarded a flight from New York’s JFK Airport to Milan, Italy, paying US$3,000 (S$4,024) for a premium economy ticket.

However, the luxury experience quickly turned into a nightmare.

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According to court documents, after the cabin lights dimmed, the male passenger next to her allegedly drank several glasses of champagne before grabbing his groin and masturbating.

Ms Elsherif froze in shock, unsure of how to react. She claims he continued the act for about 60 minutes, with no flight attendants in sight.

Flight attendant dismisses call for help

Ms Elsherif said that when the man finally stopped his lewd act, she got up from her seat and approached a flight attendant, but received no assistance.

According to her lawsuit, the crew member downplayed the incident, telling her: “Men just do stuff like that.”

The attendant doubled down by further saying that her own husband “did stuff like that”, according to Ms Elsherif in the legal documents.

Rather than confronting the man or addressing the misconduct, the only solution offered was to move her to economy class — despite her paying for premium economy.

The flight attendant allegedly failed to report the incident or speak to the man involved.

Ms Elsherif is now suing American Airlines, accusing them of negligence, discrimination, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

In response to the lawsuit, American Airlines issued a statement: “American strives to provide a positive experience to everyone who travels with us. We are reviewing the allegations of the complaint.”