Oct. 4, 2011: Randi Zuckerberg, former marketing director of Facebook and founder of RtoZ Media, speaks at the Executive Marketing Summit in New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
Alaska Airlines says it has “launched an investigation” after media mogul Randi Zuckerberg claimed she was subjected to “lewd sexual remarks” from a fellow passenger aboard a flight on Wednesday, all while the Alaska Airlines staff stood by and let it happen.
Zuckerberg, the founder of Zuckerberg Media and sister of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, claims that she was flying from Los Angeles to Mazatlán, Mexico, when the passenger seated next to her in first-class began making inappropriate sexual comments.
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“He started talking to me about touching himself, kept asking me if I fantasized about the female business colleague I was traveling with, rated and commented on the women’s bodies boarding the aircraft as they walked by us, and many more equally horrifying and offensive comments,” wrote Zuckerberg in a letter she sent to Alaska Airlines, as seen in her Twitter post.
Zuckerberg claims she brought the man’s behavior to the attention of a flight attendant, but to her surprise, the attendant claimed that the crew was familiar with this passenger, and had spoken with him about his similar statements in the past. Furthermore, Zuckerberg says the attendant told her something to the effect of, “Don’t take it personally, this guy just doesn’t have a filter.”
An attendant then offered to re-seat Zuckerberg at the back of the plane — an offer she refused after reasoning that since he was being inappropriate, he should be the one to move.
For the rest of the flight, however, Zuckerberg claims she watched the man consume several alcoholic beverages while he continued with his inappropriate comments. At one point, she claims he began discussing the current sexual harassment allegations against media personalities, remarking, “These millennial women just aren’t willing to give some booty to get a job anymore.”
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Zuckerberg finished her letter by writing that she was “furious” with the passenger, but also with herself for not making a scene. She saved her harshest criticism for Alaska Airlines, however, accusing them of “knowingly and willingly providing this man with a platform to harass women.”
Alaska Airlines responded to Zuckerberg’s accusations on Twitter just over an hour after she posted her letter online, calling the allegations “very disturbing.” The company also claimed to have revoked the man’s traveling privileges, and asked Zuckerberg to contact them at once.
After getting into contact with Alaska Airlines, Zuckerberg confirmed that the offending passenger had been “temporarily suspended” from using the airline.
“Thank you for taking this seriously,” she wrote.
A representative for the airline added that the company will be taking the "appropriate steps" after its investigation.
“We want our guests to feel safe,” the airline wrote in a statement obtained by Fox News. “As a company, we have zero tolerance for any type of sexual misconduct that creates an unsafe environment for our guests and crew members.”
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"Two of Alaska’s leaders spoke with Randi shortly after she posted her letter. We have launched a full investigation and have revoked the accused passenger's travel privileges pending the outcome of that investigation," the airline added.
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