Flight attendant sues Horizon Air over repeated allegations of sexual harassment by two pilots

Horizon Air, the wholly owned regional subsidiary of Alaska Airlines, is being sued by one of its flight attendants for sexual assault by two pilots. The flight attendant claimed the incidents were repeated and happened when she was new to the job.

She first reported harassment concerns in December and raised them again months later. The lawsuit allegedly claims Horizon “no action taken” to protect the plaintiff.

Since five months

The development was first reported by The Oregonian last week. The flight attendant, identified as a woman named JB, filed the lawsuit on Monday, July 8, seeking unspecified non-economic and punitive damages against Horizon. She claims that the pilots “multiple and severe” harassed her from September 2023 to February of this year. One of the pilots, who is believed to be married, sent the flight attendant inappropriate, sexually explicit messages while she was working on a flight.

Photo: Joe Kunzler | Simple Flying

According to the lawsuit, JB was lured to another pilot’s hotel room in Portland after a flight together in February. The pilot then had her kissed and touched without consent before she managed to escape the room. After reporting the harassment allegation to Horizon’s human resources department in December, JB reported it again in February.

“She no longer feels safe there”

The lawsuit accuses the airline of implying it was her fault because she encouraged the pilots’ bad behavior and did not change her work assignments to avoid the pilots. In March, JB took a leave of absence and raised the concerns with the Portland Police Bureau. She also reportedly filed for a sexual abuse protection order (SAPO) against one of the pilots.

Read more

United Airlines employee in San Francisco charged with multiple sex crimes against children

If convicted, the defendants face up to 30 years in prison.

The restraining order is an Oregon state law designed to protect victims of sexual harassment or abuse from people outside their family or household. Similar to an abuse prevention order, a SAPO can protect victims of sexual assault, rape and sodomy when they fear for their safety, according to WomensLaw.org.

No charges have been filed against the pilots and they continue to fly for Horizon, the lawsuit says. The flight attendant’s attorney, Michael Fuller, told The Oregonian that she remains on unpaid leave and is considering working for another employer.

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

Four-hour flights with an Embraer E175

Simple Flying reached out to Alaska for comment on Sunday, but a representative could not immediately be reached. Horizon operates a fleet of Embraer E175 regional jets. The planes seat 76 passengers and each flight requires four crew members – two pilots and two flight attendants. It is unclear if JB’s incidents are related or if the two suspected perpetrators know each other.

Photo: Joe Kunzler | Simple Flying

Many of Horizon’s West Coast flights are shorter in duration. However, the airline flies several routes that are more than 1,400 miles long. According to aviation analytics and data provider Cirium, the longest route is between Portland International Airport (PDX) and Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC), resulting in a flight time of nearly four hours.

Continue reading

The longest Embraer E175 flight in the world? United Airlines resumes service between Washington Dulles and Bozeman

Using regional aircraft on long-haul flights is nothing new for the Chicago-based airline.