Horizon Air flight attendant sues airline, claiming two pilots repeatedly sexually harassed her

A Horizon Air flight attendant is suing the airline because she claims two of its pilots sexually harassed her shortly after she started working.

The pilots, according to the lawsuit, sexually harassed the woman “repeatedly and severely” from September to February of this year, and the airline’s human resources department took “no action” to protect her.

Alaska Air Inc., owner of regional airline Horizon Air, declined to comment, citing pending litigation.

One of the married pilots sent text messages containing inappropriate, sexually explicit messages to the flight attendant during the flight, the lawsuit says.

Another pilot lured the flight attendant to his hotel room in Portland after a flight together in February and then subjected her to unwanted kissing and touching before she fled the room, the lawsuit says.

The guard, identified in the lawsuit as JB, first reported the harassment in December and again in February, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit accuses Horizon Air’s human resources managers of blaming her because she encouraged the inappropriate behavior and failed to change her duties to avoid the pilots.

The woman March reported the conduct to Portland police and took a leave of absence, the lawsuit says. She has also filed for a protective order against one of the pilots for sexual abuse. according to court records.

No criminal charges were filed and the pilots continued to fly for Horizon Air, the lawsuit states.

The nurse continued to stay away from work without pay, said her lawyer Michael Fuller.

“Given Horizon Air’s mismanagement of her sexual assault reports, she no longer feels safe there and is still considering her future career options,” he said by email.

The flight attendant filed the lawsuit on Monday in U.S. District Court in Portland. The lawsuit seeks unspecified non-pecuniary and punitive damages from Horizon Air.

— Maxine Bernstein covers federal courts and criminal justice. Reach her at 503-221-8212, [email protected], follow her on X @maxoregonianor on LinkedIn.

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