‘He’s had a bit of wine’: United Airlines passenger says staff joked as man masturbated in seat next to her

A recent United Airlines passenger claims the carrier added insult to injury after she complained of another passenger’s alleged disgusting behavior.

According to BuzzFeed News, 26-year-old Genevieve Pascolla, a photographer living in Illinois, boarded a plane home from London on July 4 and was seated next to a man she claimed went on to masturbate during the flight.

In an Instagram post detailing her allegations, she also included video purportedly showing the lewd conduct underneath a blanket on the unidentified man’s lap.

After waking to witness the disturbing act going on next to her, she said she alerted airline staff.

Eventually, she said she and another woman seated in the row were assigned new seats. But she said the indignity did not stop there.

Flight attendants aboard the jet then proceeded to mock her about the ordeal to her face and behind her back, she claimed.

“They then started making jokes about the situation asking, ‘What perfume are you wearing?’ and excusing him, saying, ‘He’s had a bit of wine.'”

Worse still, Pascolla claimed the man was “allowed to finish” his obscene display even as a child sat nearby.

“They were excusing his disgusting behavior and making jokes,” she revealed in an interview after the flight.

She said she rejected a security guard’s offer upon landing to solicit an apology from the offending passenger. Though she ultimately received a voucher covering half her ticket price, Pascolla said that only came after she publicly shared her experience on social media.

An airline representative sent BuzzFeed a statement calling the man’s behavior “inappropriate and offensive,” adding that such conduct is very uncommon.

“That’s why, in this case, our customers were promptly moved to different seats in a different section of the plane and law enforcement officials were summoned in advance to meet the perpetrator when the plane pulled into the gate,” Maddie King said.

She added that the company had offered Pascolla compensation and provided a “wellness check” phone call later the day of the flight.

[Featured images: Genevieve Pascolla, Instagram]