Woman says United ‘trapped’ her beside a man she reported for lewd acts. She got a $100 credit for a $400 flight

The 25-year-old woman told NBC News that the man sitting next to her began masturbating while looking at her. She reported him to the flight crew and was allowed to leave her seat for much of the approximately one-hour flight.

But when it was time to land, she says she was told to return to her seat because there weren’t any others available.

She says she ended up back beside the man she had just reported — and, after landing, watched him leave the plane without being stopped.

United later gave her a $100 flight credit for a trip that cost roughly $400. But the credit aside, she was also left dealing with an upsetting experience that happened in a place where she expected to feel safe.

What exactly happened?

The woman, who works as a pediatric crisis therapist, said she noticed the man masturbating beside her while looking at her during the early morning flight.

She described him as being in his mid-30s to early 40s, wearing hiking pants and a T-shirt. At first, she said, he looked ordinary and unassuming.

Once he began to masturbate, she immediately reported him to United staff, according to her account, and was allowed to stand away from her seat for much of the flight.

But as the plane prepared to land, she says she was told to return to her seat because there were no other available seats. She repeatedly told staff she was uncomfortable doing that, but was initially told she’d only have to sit there for three to five minutes.

Because she and the other passenger were seated toward the back of the plane, however, she says she ended up sitting beside him while other passengers got off. The man was then allowed to leave the plane.

The woman said she approached a United agent at the gate and asked why her seatmate hadn’t been stopped. According to her account, the agent responded, “What am I supposed to do about it?” She said he told her it was her responsibility to request a police response.

Another United employee later told her that protocols hadn’t been followed and advised her to file a complaint with the airline. She went on to file complaints with United and the Federal Aviation Administration and later contacted the FBI.

The back-and-forth with United didn’t make things much better.

According to an email exchange reviewed by NBC News, a United representative told her they could imagine how “upsetting and uncomfortable” it must have been to experience “behavior from another passenger that caused you concern.”

The woman pushed back on that wording, saying it contained “a lot of blaming language.” She also objected to the airline describing what happened as behavior that “caused” her concern, arguing that she had already removed herself from the situation and asked for help.

United would not confirm to her whether the incident had been documented by flight staff. In an email to Moneywise, United stated, “The safety of our customers and colleagues is our top priority. We take these matters seriously and are looking into what happened. We have been in contact with the customer and apologized for her experience.”

What recourse do passengers have?

There isn’t a standard $100 payout for reporting inappropriate behavior on a flight. Airlines generally have discretion over compensation for complaints that aren’t covered by a specific passenger-rights rule, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).

But passengers who believe an airline mishandled a complaint have options.

The DOT recommends first giving the airline a chance to resolve the issue. If that doesn’t work, passengers can file a complaint with the department’s Office of Aviation Consumer Protection. Airlines are required to acknowledge written consumer complaints within 30 days and provide a written response within 60 days.