Originally Posted by
rotorwings
While I don’t wish to diminish anyone’s personal experience-particularly when it involves something as serious as harassment-it’s important to approach claims like these with a degree of balance and factual scrutiny. Virgin Atlantic is a relatively small airline in terms of pilot community, and word travels fast. If this kind of systemic issue were as widespread as suggested, I believe more of us would be aware of it. As someone actively flying for the airline, I’ve neither witnessed nor heard of anything that supports the notion that this kind of behaviour is common or tolerated.
To describe a “number”of Virgin pilots as being involved in harassment, based on one individual’s serious (but singular) allegation, feels misleading. That there may be isolated incidents-yes, as with any airline or professional environment-but it’s reductive to characterise an entire group of pilots, or the company culture as a whole, on that basis. Every airline has its share of difficult personalities; this is not unique to Virgin, nor does it imply a cultural failing.
From my own perspective, Virgin’s flight crew management and training department set high standards of professionalism and behaviour. In my experience, they do not hesitate to act when those standards are breached. If the internal investigation referenced in the original statement did indeed find that harassment occurred, I would be surprised if it was genuinely “covered up” without further action or consequences-particularly in the current climate, where corporate accountability is under immense scrutiny.
Allegations of this nature deserve to be taken seriously and investigated thoroughly-but they must also be presented responsibly. Generalising from a single legal dispute risks painting an inaccurate picture of a company that, in my time here, has demonstrated a clear commitment to professionalism, respect, and accountability.
You have just diminished her experience with that, why do people never believe and diminish sexual harassment? It’s really disturbing to mamas the father of two daughters.
The fact she felt so unsafe and fearful to come to work in the end after the action the pilots concerned and the covering up of the actions by management including senior management alone warrants questions as to the extent on the problem at virgin.
The documents I was shown by her that I have seen first hand clearly show multiple pilots were involved in the harassment she faced some of it was beyond disgusting, so yes I will stand by saying multiple pilots..
Until we and I say that as a company and an industry have the maturity and the integrity to admit there is a problem no mater how small where women do not feel safe from sexual harassment when just doing their jobs we canning claim to be an inclusive company where all are safe and free to be themselves..