WestJet sent out spam demanding an apology to a woman allegedly harassed by the crew

People are spamming WestJet’s social media accounts, demanding the airline apologize to a passenger who said she was harassed by crew members.

Charlotte Chung said she experienced “continuous insults and harassment” from an airline crew who left her suffering from panic attacks.

The Los Angeles-based actor documented the incident on a flight home from Winnipeg to Los Angeles. The footage she shared on TikTok in early November went viral, garnering more than eight million views.

“In my nearly 200 flights (over the last eight years), this WestJet crew and two passengers gave me the most painful, dehumanizing experience I’ve ever had on an airplane,” the statement, posted on Instagram, read.

@chihyechung Check out my full report and score in my next post. This is @WestJet flight attendant Trisha. She and her crew threatened to kick me off the plane and arrest me three times after I was verbally abused by another passenger. For the next 4.5 hours I was forced to move seats and then isolated and harassed throughout this horrible flight. In the nearly 200 flights I’ve taken over the past 8 years, this Westjet crew and 2 passengers gave me the most painful, dehumanizing experience I’ve ever had on a plane. This is the only video I had because I was in awe. In the most aggressive moments, for example, when I was literally yelled at, I was in shock and too scared to film. What happened: During boarding, the man you see in the video continuously punched and pushed my seat for over 20 minutes. I’m in 1A and he’s in 2A behind me. I finally peeked between the seats to see what was going on but didn’t say a word and he blurted out, “Oh just calm down (then) FU*K OFF”. I replied, “Excuse me? Did you just tell me to leave?’ Tricia comes down the hall to see what’s going on and I tell her about the man (thinking she’ll help me). The next thing I know, I’m being threatened to be kicked off the ship and then arrested. It was a 4.5 hour flight of non-stop abuse from the crew. The incessant abuse of the flight attendants was a painful experience. I was trapped. The worst part was that I couldn’t stop them from talking to me/harassing me, whereas the passenger who verbally abused me could do whatever he wanted and was completely protected. The panic attacks and flashbacks of being trapped and helpless on the plane and PTSD from this aggressive crew and 2 passengers are non-stop. I couldn’t concentrate on anything after escaping that flight. @Westjet “Is that what you stand for?” Defend the person (who harassed me), put them on an untouchable pedestal, and then subject me to a humiliating, isolating experience for speaking up and asking for help as a victim? I will always stand up for myself (and others who may have a different voice) and I will not be silenced. Point. #westjet ♬ original sound – Charlotte

After a few days of explosion of the operator on the Internet – even received a repost from a comedian and Daily show On November 20, reporter Ronnie Chieng-Chung shared that the company had finally contacted her.

“No responsibility assumed,” reads the Instagram story. “They refuse to correct this mistake. Instead, it appears that the information I have provided is insufficient to warrant an apology.”

She said they instead asked her to contact their “welfare team” with her concerns.

“Forcing me to further prove anything when I’ve already provided video footage, a full written statement and oral testimony adds insult to injury… As if trying to heal from this traumatic experience isn’t hard enough. I’m at a loss for words,” she said.

When contacted directly on Thursday, Chang said she was waiting for a further response from WestJet. She said she still hasn’t received a formal apology.

Summary of the incident

The actor revealed that it all started during boarding when a passenger sitting behind her started punching and pushing her seat non-stop for over 20 minutes.

Although she didn’t say a word when she turned to see if an adult or a child was hitting her seat, Chang said the passenger behind her immediately expressed anger.

“Oh, just relax, dammit,” she remembered him saying.

The passenger said she was relieved that a flight attendant appeared at that moment so she could call for help. She explained the situation to a crew member, but the passenger behind her denied cursing or pushing her seat, according to Chung.

Unfortunately, she felt that the flight attendant had taken the man’s side.

“What follows is four and a half hours of pure emotional and mental torture by the WestJet team,” she wrote on Instagram.

In the TikTok video, the actor can be seen mostly chatting with a flight attendant who says her name is Trisha. A crew member insisted that Chang was “belligerent and unruly.”

Chung alleges that for the remainder of the trip, other WestJet crew members “relentlessly” viewed her as a threat, “isolated” and “harassed” her for the rest of the flight.

For example, the actress said that other flight attendants started talking to her “rudely” when serving food.

She also claims that the film crew was “following” her and that she could hear them giggling and making disparaging remarks about her.

The TikTok ends with Chang’s message explaining her possible arrest based on “verbal abuse” and “recordings.”

In an emailed statement dated Nov. 12, WestJet said it had just become aware of the situation involving the guest and one of the flight attendants. It does not directly refer to the Chung incident.

“The safety and well-being of our guests and crew is always our top priority and we have begun the process of engaging with internal teams to obtain more information,” the spokesperson said.

WestJet’s reaction on social media

As the actress shared her story online, the internet came to her defense in the airline’s comments section on social media.

Under recent Instagram posts, people demanded an apology from WestJet on Chung’s behalf.

“An apology to Charlotte Chung is worth $0.00,” read one comment.

“Any tips for publicly apologizing to Charlotte Chang?” added another.

Many are also calling for the company to take responsibility.

“It would be a real Christmas miracle if you could actually take charge,” one person commented.

“Take responsibility and stop avoiding the issue,” said another comment. “Everything you do hurts your business.”

WestJet said Thursday that nothing has changed since its initial statement. Chang would not comment on potential lawsuits.