United Airlines has started training its Flight Attendants to deal with porn on its planes. More passengers than ever are traveling with handheld entertainment devices. In tandem, airlines have noticed a spike in the number of passengers viewing porn in-flight.

Crew training started last month

The airline has told the National Center On Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) that crew started training last month. NCOSE says that an increasing number of passengers think it is okay to watch porn on a flight. This can cause acute embarrassment and discomfort to fellow passengers.

Haley Halverson, a spokesperson for NCOSE said in a statement;

"In recent years, the problem of airline passengers watching pornography on their personal devices has increased dramatically.

"Many airlines have policies on paper that prohibit such content, but they are not adequately training their in-flight crews or support staff to ensure they are consciously aware the policy exists or know how to enforce it."

United Airlines was one of the Dirty Dozen

NCOSE had previously singled out United Airlines for inadequately dealing with the issue. The non-profit organization that advocates for the reduction of sexual exploitation publishes an annual Dirty Dozen List.

This list includes corporations that NCOSE believes contribute to sexual exploitation and abuse. United Airlines starred on the 2019 Dirty Dozen List. Why NCOSE believes the porn issue is more acute on United than on other airlines is unknown. However, with the crew training underway, United Airlines will now be removed from the list.

"The National Center on Sexual Exploitation applauds and thanks United Airlines for recognizing the importance of training flight crews on the topic of pornography, and we call on other airlines to follow United’s example.”

United says watching porn in-flight can constitute sexual harassment

United Airlines has responded to the decision by NCOSE. In a statement the airline said;

"The safety of our customers and colleagues is our top priority. Sexual harassment, inappropriate behavior, intimidation or predation have absolutely no place anywhere in our society — including, and especially, in our industry and on our aircraft. 

"In 2018, we strengthened our training for flight attendants to recognize, address and respond to instances of sexual harassment of any kind onboard our aircraft and will continue to adapt and enhance this training moving forward.

"We recognize the need to continue the discussion among all of our workgroups to further ensure that our policies reflect our values and safeguard those travelling with us."

What kind of passenger thinks watching porn in-flight is okay?

The story raises an interesting question. What kind of person thinks it is appropriate to watch porn in a confined public space such as an aircraft?

We all know the internet is full of porn. According to statistics compiled by Statista, 87% of US male adults aged 18-35 view porn at least once a week. The figure drops to 28.5% for females. Statista says 4% of websites contain adult porn and 13% of all web searches are for adult porn.

Okay, so what's watched in your own home is your own business. But it's fascinating that people would think it's acceptable to watch porn in a public space.

Of course, you might argue that it is simply symptomatic of a general decline in etiquette in-flight. Every day we hear and see horror stories of wildly inappropriate behavior on aircraft. If your seat neighbor is gross enough to clip toenails in-flight, his/her viewing of downloaded Pornhub clips on their phone is almost to be expected.

But as NCOSE rightly points out, it isn't much fun for the passengers around them. If there are kids in the vicinity, legal issues arise. Airline crew shouldn't have to put up with it either. They may be paid to do their job but their job doesn't include putting up with the viewing habits of grubby passengers who lack social boundaries and a sense of decency.

Porn on planes? Acceptable or unacceptable? Post a comment and let us know.