Woman who says she was sexually assaulted on a plane demands airlines take action

Alleged attack on flight from Seattle to Amsterdam

Allison Dvaladze says she was groped by a passenger on a Delta flight (AFP/Getty Images)

A woman who claims to have been sexually assaulted on an overnight transatlantic flight has spoken of her ordeal.

Allison Dvaladze was on a Delta flight from Seattle to Amsterdam last year. She told BBC Radio 5 Live’s Phil Williams that the alleged attack took place about three hours into the flight, when the man in the next seat repeatedly groped her.

Ms Dvaladze said: “My initial response was just to hit him because I was so shocked. He grabbed me again and I hit him again and the third time he went to grab me I tried to block myself and he hit me.”

She alerted the cabin crew, who, she says, asked her what they should do.

“They were not really sure what to do … I honestly believe that they had the very best intentions and were trying to be as supportive as they could but it’s clear to me that they’re not trained to handle these situations.”

The alleged perpetrator was allowed to leave the aircraft on arrival at Amsterdam without the police being involved.

Ms Dvaladze is calling for better training for cabin crew, and for warnings to be given as part of the safety briefing.

In a statement, Delta told The Independent: “Delta takes reports of harassment very seriously. When we become aware of incidents onboard, we always investigate so appropriate action may be taken, coordinating with local law enforcement when requested by the customer and crew.”

Last month Air India decided to introduce women-only seating, in response to complaints about sexual harassment.

A spokesperson for Virgin Atlantic, Delta’s UK partner, said: “Dealing with disruptive customers or incidents onboard the aircraft is absolutely part of the training that our crew undertake. Albeit rare, we wouldn't tolerate any disruptive behaviour and the crew will report to the necessary authorities and will have them meet the aircraft if required.

“Our security team will also be notified and investigate and if required, look to ban disruptive customers from flying with us in the future.”

Patrick Ky, Executive Director of the European Air Safety Agency, told The Independent that disruptive passengers constitute an “emerging threat”. He said: “We are hearing more and more incidents from cabin crew, saying that when they are dealing with unruly passengers they are distracted from their safety-related tasks.”