Air New Zealand Attendant Grounded For Harassment
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Air New Zealand Attendant Grounded For Harassment
Attendant grounded for harassment
07 October 2001
By KIM NEWTH
An Air New Zealand flight attendant has been sacked for sexually harassing a passenger he dubbed "Miss Long Legs".
The passenger claimed the flight attendant, Gerrard Doherty, gave her a mini "horse-bite" and placed a napkin palm-down on her thigh during a flight from Melbourne to Christchurch in May.
Doherty, a flight attendant for 22 years, was sacked but fought for his reinstatement in a case to the employment relations authority. The authority last week dismissed his claim.
The woman, in her late 20s, said she was seated and wearing jeans during flight NZ194.
Doherty raised her tray table to allow a purser to move past her and it was then he touched her thigh and made a passing comment about her long legs. He then made the "Miss Long Legs" comment while directing another flight attendant to her after she asked for a glass of water.
The incident left the woman in tears and she complained to the purser.
Doherty apologised but the woman wrote to the airline calling for disciplinary action. "I feel my rights as a passenger and indeed a human being were violated and would also like to prevent it happening to anyone else," she said.
Doherty admitted he told the passenger to mind "her lovely long legs" as he was putting her tray table down.
However, he said he mistakenly grasped her knee for support - rather than the seat arm - after losing balance because of turbulence. The woman and a friend, who was sitting across the aisle, denied there was turbulence. A couple sitting next to her agreed, saying it was one of the smoothest flights they had been on. They both described Doherty's conduct as unacceptable.
Doherty was subsequently dismissed from his job on August 17, but took the case for reinstatement and payment of lost income and compensation totalling $20,000 to the authority.
Doherty said his behaviour did not amount to sexual harassment and also fell outside the definition of harassment in the workplace, which related to incidents between employees. He also objected to the airline's investigation process.
However, the airline argued that high standards were paramount in its business.
The passenger also suggested sexual harassment on an aircraft was more serious and distressing than such behaviour in a public place like a bar because it was impossible to get away from the perpetrator.
The authority ruled Doherty's actions amounted to sexual harassment and could also have a detrimental impact on the airline's standards and reputation. It found his dismissal was justified.
For a time during his 22-year career at Air New Zealand, Doherty was employed as a purser. He was demoted back to a flight attendant after an incident between himself and other airline workers in 1993.
The authority decision gave no further details of this incident.
Doherty's lawyer Graeme Riach said his client had not decided whether to take further action over his dismissal and did not want to comment further.
Flight Attendants Association executive officer Terry Law told the Sunday Star-Times it was extremely rare for an attendant to be dismissed for sexual harassment.
It was an indication of how demanding the role of a flight attendant was, he said. There was a strong emphasis on empathy and making passengers feel welcome and cared for to the utmost degree.
07 October 2001
By KIM NEWTH
An Air New Zealand flight attendant has been sacked for sexually harassing a passenger he dubbed "Miss Long Legs".
The passenger claimed the flight attendant, Gerrard Doherty, gave her a mini "horse-bite" and placed a napkin palm-down on her thigh during a flight from Melbourne to Christchurch in May.
Doherty, a flight attendant for 22 years, was sacked but fought for his reinstatement in a case to the employment relations authority. The authority last week dismissed his claim.
The woman, in her late 20s, said she was seated and wearing jeans during flight NZ194.
Doherty raised her tray table to allow a purser to move past her and it was then he touched her thigh and made a passing comment about her long legs. He then made the "Miss Long Legs" comment while directing another flight attendant to her after she asked for a glass of water.
The incident left the woman in tears and she complained to the purser.
Doherty apologised but the woman wrote to the airline calling for disciplinary action. "I feel my rights as a passenger and indeed a human being were violated and would also like to prevent it happening to anyone else," she said.
Doherty admitted he told the passenger to mind "her lovely long legs" as he was putting her tray table down.
However, he said he mistakenly grasped her knee for support - rather than the seat arm - after losing balance because of turbulence. The woman and a friend, who was sitting across the aisle, denied there was turbulence. A couple sitting next to her agreed, saying it was one of the smoothest flights they had been on. They both described Doherty's conduct as unacceptable.
Doherty was subsequently dismissed from his job on August 17, but took the case for reinstatement and payment of lost income and compensation totalling $20,000 to the authority.
Doherty said his behaviour did not amount to sexual harassment and also fell outside the definition of harassment in the workplace, which related to incidents between employees. He also objected to the airline's investigation process.
However, the airline argued that high standards were paramount in its business.
The passenger also suggested sexual harassment on an aircraft was more serious and distressing than such behaviour in a public place like a bar because it was impossible to get away from the perpetrator.
The authority ruled Doherty's actions amounted to sexual harassment and could also have a detrimental impact on the airline's standards and reputation. It found his dismissal was justified.
For a time during his 22-year career at Air New Zealand, Doherty was employed as a purser. He was demoted back to a flight attendant after an incident between himself and other airline workers in 1993.
The authority decision gave no further details of this incident.
Doherty's lawyer Graeme Riach said his client had not decided whether to take further action over his dismissal and did not want to comment further.
Flight Attendants Association executive officer Terry Law told the Sunday Star-Times it was extremely rare for an attendant to be dismissed for sexual harassment.
It was an indication of how demanding the role of a flight attendant was, he said. There was a strong emphasis on empathy and making passengers feel welcome and cared for to the utmost degree.
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I don't normally read the Cabin Crew forum, but I was bored enough to drop in.
Succinctly, here's what I see in this:
(1) Management that wants so badly to be seen being "politically correct" that they don't mind sacrificing a longtime employee to achieve that aim.
(2) A neurotic drama-queen who saw the perfect opportunity for a frivolous lawsuit and is playing it to the hilt.
Succinctly, here's what I see in this:
(1) Management that wants so badly to be seen being "politically correct" that they don't mind sacrificing a longtime employee to achieve that aim.
(2) A neurotic drama-queen who saw the perfect opportunity for a frivolous lawsuit and is playing it to the hilt.
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i'm just glad that they have given
this git the boot, we don't need people
like this representing our country,
if it had of been my girlfriend..........
this git the boot, we don't need people
like this representing our country,
if it had of been my girlfriend..........
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I find it interesting that the flight attendant tried to blame "turbulance" as the reason his hand just happened to land onto an area where it shouldn't have been (i.e., the woman's leg). This is the exact same excuse some slimeball used a while back when he was busy molesting an underage girl on a Northwest flight several months ago. There has been a separate discussion thread here on PPRuNe re that incident.
I tell ya, you cockpit crews are apparently going to have to work a little harder at flying the aircraft around areas where turbulance is present! Oterwise, just look at all the pandemonium that ensues back in the cabin!
Spare me!
I tell ya, you cockpit crews are apparently going to have to work a little harder at flying the aircraft around areas where turbulance is present! Oterwise, just look at all the pandemonium that ensues back in the cabin!
Spare me!
