Flight attendant 'hunted down teenager'

[Slats7]

Flight attendant 'hunted down teenager' | Travel News | News.com.au

A MALE flight attendant is being investigated by Jetstar over allegations he contacted a teenage girl on Facebook using details from passenger records.


The Jetstar attendant sent the 15-year-old girl several messages via the social media website after a flight from the Sunshine Coast to Melbourne last month, reports the ABC.

It will be very interesting to see the outcome of this.

 

[samh004]

He can't send several friend requests, you can only send one. If she ignored the first request then maybe he sent another, but why she didn't just hit that block button next to ignore I dunno. I do that when people I don't know become insistent.

I'd be surprised if this was the first time this has happened. I'm sure this is done all the time with over- and under-age passengers.

 

[notzac]

I'd be surprised if this was the first time this has happened. I'm sure this is done all the time with over- and under-age passengers.

I'd be really worried if it did happen all the time. Notwithstanding many other very good reasons not to do this, it's hugely unprofessional IMHO :!:

 

[samh004]

I'd be really worried if it did happen all the time. Notwithstanding many other very good reasons not to do this, it's hugely unprofessional IMHO :!:

Well, in this case it's an older guy preying on a young girl (well 15, I'm sure she looks 21), so it gets reported. However in many other cases the person being "hunted" is older and either doesn't have a problem with the advances, or is a little smarter and just ignores them.

Yes, it's unprofessional, but with a list of passenger names and the ease of typing a name into Facebook these days and matching a face to a memory, I can't imagine it's not happened before.

 

[pauly7]

If the QFLink FA from the Mel/Lst run last week hunted me down I'd be ok with that

 

[codash1099]

Well, in this case it's an older guy preying on a young girl (well 15, I'm sure she looks 21), so it gets reported. However in many other cases the person being "hunted" is older and either doesn't have a problem with the advances, or is a little smarter and just ignores them.

I find it hard to justify this behaviour in any circumstances. Information that is otherwise private but comes into your hands in the course of your employment should never be used for personal purposes, whether or not the recipient "has a problem".

 

[Nigelinoz]

He can't send several friend requests, you can only send one.

The report doesn't say that ,it says he sent one friend request then several messages asking why he hadn't been added as a friend.
If that is true it is very unprofessional,however having said that I would like to hear his side of the story before he is the victim of trial by media.
I have just heard on ABC radio that he denies even having a facebook account but the girls mother says he attempted to contact again last night so it's very hard to know who to believe

Whatever the truth ,in my mind,it reinforces my view that whilst Facebook is a great tool to keep in touch with friends and colleagues it should be used with a fair amount of caution..

 

[Danger]

I thought it was interesting that Westaway said the manifest is only available to the cabin crew manager. On more than one occasion on a Qantas flight I've seen the manifest in the galley for all to see.

 

[drron]

If the QFLink FA from the Mel/Lst run last week hunted me down I'd be ok with that

Just make sure you are on facebook .
I realise now that my desire not to be on Facebook means I wont be stalked

 

[N860CR]

Not that I'd defend criminal acts against minors... however to the FA's credit it does seem as though they were being chatty on the flight and that doesn't mean he got the names from the manifest. He could just have easily been offered the young ladies boarding pass which displayed her name, or she could simply have told him.

I've seen plenty of 15 year olds that I'd swear were 18 or 19. Take a 19 or 20 year old FA and the age gap doesn't seem so bad.

It could well be a case of the girls enjoying the attention of the FA then getting caught out by mum.

However of course if there are any other motives then I retract all and agree that its very disturbing.

 

[medhead]

I gotta say the question of professionalism is totally irrelevant. What is more important is well yes the privacy issues, but private information can be used if it is to your benefit and you agree. Therefore, a willing victim of stalking, which is one thing, if the victim is able to be willing. And that leads to my next point in this case the serious issue is where it might lead. Basically to an illegal act by the stalker. A 15 year old is a minor and a legally unable to consent to being stalked or anything else that might follow. The question of professionallism pales into insignificance.

I have just heard on ABC radio that he denies even having a facebook account but the girls mother says he attempted to contact again last night so it's very hard to know who to believe

Why am I not surprised that the mother is involved. I dare say the girl encouraged the contact, overprotective mummy found out and it becomes a news story. Not that I'm backing away from my other comments to support the flight attendant, but mummy could have tried to ignore the contact as well. And applied some control on her daughter.

 

[k_sheep]

Just make sure you are on facebook .
I realise now that my desire not to be on Facebook means I wont be stalked

Note to self: start stalking drron.

The cynic in me suggests medhead is right, as in a cheeky 15yo girl was flirting and told the FA to look her up. But you never can tell! 15 is still young enough that the generally need protecting.

 

[drron]

Note to self: start stalking drron.

The cynic in me suggests medhead is right, as in a cheeky 15yo girl was flirting and told the FA to look her up. But you never can tell! 15 is still young enough that the generally need protecting.

Obviously a wolf in sheep's clothing.:shock:

 

[russianrob]

Trial by media savvy mother going on here. It would be very interesting to know if FA is say 20, and the young lady in question had been flirting with him. Ever tried to guess a young ladies age these days with war paint, clothes etc?

If the young man in question has still tried to get in contact once the mother has informed him of the young lady's age, then he deserves all he gets!

 

[Mal]

As is always the case with these reports, there is the Mother's version, the Daughter's version and the Flight Attendant's version.

All can be completely different. Perhaps the truth will come out.

However, a FA should be careful not to put themselves in a position where things can go badly. Bad judgment call probably on the FA's part.

 

[Chicken or Beef]

I find it hard to justify this behaviour in any circumstances. Information that is otherwise private but comes into your hands in the course of your employment should never be used for personal purposes, whether or not the recipient "has a problem".

Has anyone ever thought that this works the other way around? Yes the many disgruntled, irrational passengers who have full view of the FA's full name on their ID? I wonder if they've ever been 'tracked down' and threatened or had someone try and pick them up?! Hmmm.:-|

Best advice is not to be on Facebook! And hope that your details don't appear anywhere on Google.

 

[Danger]

Unlike a passenger manifest I've only ever seen a CSM's full name on the badge. All other FAs seem to only have their first name.

 

[samh004]

He's been stood down.

Jetstar flight attendant stood down over stalking | Travel | News.com.au

 

[ozbeachbabe]

It is my understanding that there is no manifest given to crew on Jetstar domestic flights - only on international. Should this be the case there would have been no manifest for this Maroochydore/Melbourne flight. The crew only get a list of "specials" eg SSR codes such as wheelchairs (WCHR) etc.

If a guy takes a shine to a girl who looks 18 or older, do they actually ask the girl "how old are you" before engaging in polite chit chat? You can't expect them to ask for ID for heavens sake. I would think they assume if she's under age ie less than 16 that she would speak up and tell him so before it can go any further.

As for the mothers comment re her daughter "only goes by her first name on her website". This comment in itself displays the mother's lack of basic understanding on the fundamentals of the internet. If she is referring to her daughters account on Facebook being under her first name only, how would the flight attendant seeing her full name on a boarding pass help him track her down on FB?

Has she got some weird and wonderful first name whereby only a handful of girls worldwide share? When I type in my first name only the Facebook search returns 2,900 results.

So is the mother wrong and her daughter in fact goes by her full name on Facebook? If so, did the flight attendant look her up after seeing her name on the boarding pass or did the girl give him her email address thus enabling him to search for her that way?

Would this story have hit the headlines if they couple had crossed paths at a suburban cafe or shopping centre?

I don't believe it's a breach of privacy for crew to access a passenger manifest to know what passenger is sitting in what seat. In some cases it is useful in a medical emergency if the passenger becomes unconscious or if someone becomes a violent or abusive drunk mid-air.

There are quite a few clarifications needed here namely:

* Is it a breach of an individual's privacy if a flight attendant looks a passenger up on a public domain such as Facebook.

* If you are buying groceries at Woollies and a checkout chick gets your name from your ATM card would she be breaching the privacy act by looking you up on Facebook? What about Dr, Dentist or Accountant - does that then become a breach of patient/client confidentiality?

As is always the case with these reports, there is the Mother's version, the Daughter's version and the Flight Attendant's version.

Having been a teenager myself once there is also the daughters version of what really happened and the version of what I hoped my mother believed had happened!

As for the flight attendant being stood down, is this on full pay pending the result of the investigation or is he simply a sacrificial lamb so that the matter can be swept under the carpet and forgotten about at its earliest convenience?

 

[straitman]

ozbeachbabe,

A well thought out and well put together summary.

The only thing I would change slightly is:

As is always the case with these reports, there is the Mother's version, the Daughter's version and the Flight Attendant's version.

.... and then there is what really happened :!: