Summary
- An investigation is underway to find out if a hidden camera was discovered in the rest room of an American Airlines flight. Police and the FBI are treating it as a possible criminal act.
- The incident involves a teenage passenger, a phone, and a member of the cabin crew.
- CCTV cameras for general surveillance are present in cabins and certain sensitive areas to make sure passenger safety.
A recent incident onboard an American Airlines flight has led to an investigation being launched to find out if a hidden camera was discovered inside the rest room of considered one of the aircraft belonging to the carrier. Still, to be determined, the police and the FBI are considering the situation as a “potential criminal act”.
The incident
The incident occurred last week on Saturday, September 2nd, onboard an American Airlines domestic flight, AA-1441, from its hub in Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) in North Carolina to Boston Logan International Airport (BOS). As reported by the Independent, the incident involved a teenage passenger, a phone, and a flight attendant.
It’s reported that a teenage passenger wished to make use of the rest room onboard, but she was stopped by a male flight attendant stating that he had to clean his hands. Shortly after that, the passenger used the toilet. Nonetheless, after this, reports suggest that the passenger’s mother was cautioning other passengers from using the identical lavatory as a consequence of a hidden camera positioned inside it.
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Upon landing in Boston, the aircraft was met with Massachusetts State Police. The male flight attendant suspected to be involved was escorted off the aircraft by officers, after which the airline staff inspected the rest room in query. On this instance, because the flight was domestic and the incident took place inside American Airspace, the local authorities might be answerable for carrying out the investigations.
Easy Flying has reached out to American Airlines and received the next statement from the carrier:
“American Airlines flight 1441 from Charlotte (CLT) to Boston (BOS) was met by law enforcement upon arrival. We take this matter very seriously and are fully cooperating with law enforcement of their investigation, as safety and security are our highest priorities.”
Under surveillance
While in no situation is it permissible to have cameras within the aircraft lavatory, it’s price noting that for general surveillance of cabins, CCTV cameras can often be discovered onboard aircraft.
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These are generally used to observe the cabin and certain sensitive areas, akin to the doorway to the cockpit, and are in place to make sure the security of the passengers and the flight. Moreover, on larger aircraft, CCTV cameras within the cabin can enable the crew to observe areas which are out of the crew members’ line of sight.
While it was previously thought that certain airlines have inbuilt cameras within the IFE screens for individual passenger monitoring, this has been claimed to be false because the airlines confirmed that the cameras have never been activated, nor will they ever be activated. Moreover, it is recommended that most recent IFE systems, as standard, have an integrated camera in them but are rarely activated.
Additionally it is price noting that a few of the larger aircraft have the choice to have various cameras fitted outside the aircraft, depending on the airline’s preference. Nonetheless, that is used for the only purpose of creating it easier to taxi these large aircraft safely.
Photo: Abid Habib | Easy Flying
A number of the external camera views are accessible to the passengers as well, which enables them to benefit from the view outside the aircraft.
What do you think that of cameras placed onboard aircraft? Tell us your thoughts within the comments below!