Ahead of the Super Bowl on Sunday in Glendale, Arizona, United Airlines is warning its flight attendants to be on the lookout for human trafficking.
United Airlines Sounds Alarm Bells On Human Trafficking, Particularly Around Super Bowl
Ahead of Super Bowl LVII this Sunday, over one million people and billions of dollars are descending upon Arizona. In a memo to flight attendants reviewed by Live and Let’s Fly, United asks for vigilance over potential sex trafficking:
The Super Bowl is one of the single most popular sporting events in the U.S. This year, it takes place on Sunday, Feb. 12 in Glendale, Ariz. – a suburb of Phoenix. Unfortunately, big events like the Super Bowl can attract sex trafficking aimed to take advantage of the influx of money brought in by the large crowds.
Victims of human trafficking can be any race, age, or gender and are moved around internationally and domestically. Frontline airline workers, especially flight attendants, are in a unique position to observe suspected trafficking in progress. As a crew member, you may observe one or more of the four possible indicators for trafficking victims on your flight. For your safety and the safety of the potential victim, only engage in casual conversation as you would with any customer. Never confront the suspected trafficker or attempt covert communication with the victim that may jeopardize their safety.
If you believe that you’ve identified a human trafficking situation, report the details to the purser and captain using the term “suspected human trafficking.” There are no consequences if the incident follow-up determines that human trafficking was not the case.
The memo does not explain what the four possible indicators for trafficking victims are, though common warning signs of human trafficking include:
- Appearing malnourished
- Showing signs of physical injuries and abuse
- Avoiding eye contact, social interaction, including with flight attendants
- Seeming to adhere to scripted or rehearsed responses in social interaction.
Perhaps not directly relevant to flight attendants, but these victims also often lack official identification documents, which could come into play while boarding a flight or going through airport security.
This is a tough issue, which I’ve written about before:
- Same-Sex Couple Accused of Child Trafficking on Southwest Flight, Threatened By Police
- Man Falsely Accused of Child Trafficking on United Flight, Humiliated
- AA Agent Saves Two Teenagers from Human Trafficking Plot
- Southwest Airlines Calls Cops On White Mom Over “Suspicious” Biracial Daughter
There is no easy answer here, as the nuance of each of those stories above demonstrates. I will only say that a father traveling with his daughter or dark-skinned parents who have adopted a light-skinned child should not be automatic grounds for concern. Those are not signs of potential trafficking.
CONCLUSION
United Airlines has warned its flight attendants to be extra vigilant for human trafficking ahead of Super Bowl LVII. With absolutely no consequences for falsely accusing someone, it would not surprise me to see at least a handful of “false positive” incidents this weekend. Even so, flight attendants are indeed in a unique position to identify human trafficking and should always be on the lookout for signs of abuse.
image: United Airlines
Sad that this myth keeps getting perpetuated.
https://www.antitraffickingreview.org/index.php/atrjournal/article/view/404/336
https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2014/01/super-bowl-sex-trafficking-story-just-wont-die/356735/
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2022-02-06/super-bowl-trafficking-link
The Atlantic and LA Times running cover? Imagine my shock.
I can’t help but think this is the modern version of the myth that the night of the Super Bowl was a time of increased domestic violence.
This matter is a double edged sword. It is very dangerous. United should really shut up about this and not empower these sleeping fireballs with soo much power and saying in the matter. It could easily backfire horribly. If UA is going to enable the f/a’s as sleeping marshals, then they would need to receive the proper and adequate training. Training, training, training and more training. This matter is very delicate and could easily inflict more pain and harm on innocent airline clients than really helping out to solve the problem. They need more than just a memo three days before the event. Otherwise this will definitely hurt more than help!
Most airlines have some sort of annual human trafficking awareness training (Project Blue, or Blue Lightning or similar). I’ve been involved with a few situations where either flight attendants or my gate agents reported something suspicious (like a man with someone he says is his 15 year old daughter who is sitting in his lap in the gate practically giving him a hickey, and has no identification). FBI responded to a few (it helped they have a Special Agent assigned to the airport) and agreed that there was enough suspicious activity to raise the question in almost all the situations. Did meet a very nice 85 year old man who married the love of his life on her 18th birthday… I understand right to privacy and living your life as you do, but in that circumstance just refusing to speak to the crew, following her to the lavatory, etc., connecting to central America, just helped raise a flag. The key is discretion…
For the 85 year old and 18 year old, that’s two consenting adult making an agreement. She gets a green card and possibly some inheritance, and he gets an 18 year old for the time he has left
@GPG…this goes to show how little you fly. This program has been around quite a long time at several of the airlines. Not only do we discuss in recurrent training and web training, we also have outside sources that we can voluntarily get more training. How about you focus on your own job requirements and leave everybody else to theirs. You and your comments are always exhausting.
@Flyer1 Maybe, just maybe, you should stick to being a glorified waiter/waitress and stop acting or pretending to be law enforcement, how about that. Not only is it above your paycheck level, but you’re obviously ignorant about what that really entails based upon your stupid reaction on my post and your “yearly recurrent B/S training “. Not only do you make wrong assumptions about my traveling habits and experience, but by doing so, and most importantly the way of doing it, you end up making a complete ass about yourself. Just stick to your OWN commentary and leave mine alone, please, just shut up and don’t read them. Now go sell crazy somewhere else, we’re all stocked up here!!
@GPG…so this glorified waitress would like to know, so I understand your view on this, any future memo sent to me by my company asking me to do anything while onboard my flights should be ignored. Is that correct? I’m also assuming since you say it’s above my paycheck level, which is usually referred to as pay grade not paycheck level, that you have determined those at even higher pay grades don’t know enough to make those type of decisions.
Airlines need to be very, very careful acting as false agents for government agencies.
My niece had a one way ticket from Europe to the US at the end of the summer. A fight attendant came on strong peppering her with questions about who she was traveling with, why the one-way ticket, who paid for the ticket, why was it only purchased a few days before departure, etc, etc, etc. My niece failed to realize the reasoning for the questions for a moment or two, then challenged the flight attendant and requested to talk to the purser/#1 FA. The interloper immediately backed down.
Welcome aboard!!!
I’m so curious. Does United give you special access to all of our company internal emails and memos, or do you have a friend at the company who lets you see them?
I have many friends and contacts from many departments at United who send me memos, updates, videos, and all sorts of items of interest. From your past comments, I know you are a United FA and would welcome any info from you as well that you deem newsworthy. Thanks for reading.
Just great, flight attendants playing a being police and making false accusations of people. Why not also train them to detect conflict gems, illegal gold possession, UFO, white supremacy, fleeing dictators and Chinese spy balloons. Geese, Just stick to the safety briefing, keep the alcohol flowing, and gossiping about your coworker while in the valley. ( I can hear you a few rows away.)
There are no consequences if the incident follow-up determines that human trafficking was not the case. — this is bad. Only good faith reporting should have no consequences. FAs can be petty, vindictive, and unprofessional. Not all, just some.
Avoiding eye contact, social interaction, including with flight attendants — That pretty much describes 50% of teens.
Are they going to discriminate against men? Picking on men?
What if a woman self-trafficks. Does that count?
Traffickers often fly Southwest or Spirit or drive.
Matthew-
This is nothing new.. we have been trained to watch out for trafficking for many years now… so have the flight crews at AA, Dl and the others’.
I honestly don’t understand why this has made your news feed… is it because it’s the Stupidbowl?
Awareness, maybe? Would you tell the victims of trafficking in this country that you don’t “honestly” understand why this is news? Not sure they would appreciate those sentiments. It always amazes me how Americans have become so unable and unwilling to advocate for unluckiest among us.
You clearly missed my point… we do this every day; Superbowl event or not, that doesn’t matter. We’re in the lookout all the time. Awareness of cabin environment and odd/suspicious behavior is always paramount.
Well, there’s a lot of thing’s FA’s are supposed to do every day that don’t happen–so someone could easily miss something when distracted by making sundaes or god knows what else. Either way, I was talking about public awareness for the readers of this content. The public does not know everything FA’s are tasked with–no matter how many times it’s covered someone will always learn something new. Awareness matters–that’s my point.
There are anti-trafficking organizations that argue that this should not be news, because it’s not true.
http://www.gaatw.org/publications/WhatstheCostofaRumour.11.15.2011.pdf
2011 is pretty dated for a source..and interesting that a 75 page document downplays something that they can’t really prove isn’t happening. So you mean to tell me that there has never been a trafficking issue around a sports event? ‘Come on, man’. Furthermore, sports is a qualifier. Remove the qualifier, what happens then? Trafficking and exploitation are still massive issues with it removed, so I don’t think this type of dissent really does humanity any justice. Better to be on the safe side with this one. It’s interesting–Vice did a piece after Halloween that kids didn’t get fentanyl in their candy. My friend buried her son due to fentanyl, so it’s rather enraging to read pieces like this that downplay a massive issue. So I feel it’s the same here. You are, perhaps not intentionally, downplaying trafficking as they are downplaying fentanyl. I could be wrong, but that is just how it comes across. https://www.vice.com/en/article/88qedv/dea-rainbow-fentanyl-halloween-candy
You’ll have to ask United. It issued this memo on Wednesday to FAs and specifically mentioned the Super Bowl this weekend.
As an airline employee I used to enjoy reading Matthew’s articles. It’s gotten to the point where I can still read them but I really shouldn’t scroll down to comments. It amazes me how so many commenters have stated that they wish flight attendants were more friendly, more accommodating, more efficient, skinny, young, use names, out in aisle constantly, no sitting down, no breaks, no talking in galley, etc. and at the same time expound how crappy, old, fat, mean we all are. As my husband said, not one person that pours out the hate over and over again, yet wants flight attendants to do their job better, manages anything or owns their own company. True leaders do not sit and bring their employees into the office, tell them all that they are pure crap and then say now let’s get out there and do a better job. Comments are very telling.
There’s a lot to unpack here but I’ll respond to few points:
1) I do agree that people shouldn’t be reduced to generalizations like crappy, old, fat. We can agree there. Attitudes and dispositions of FA’s are a different story though. Many studies suggest that we are more likely to remember negative experiences over positive experiences. Knowing this, it makes sense why people remember aggressive and rude FA’s over good ones.
2) I am very observant when flying–not someone who passes out and sleeps, ever–and the fact does remain that some FA’s do not respect their pax or show any effort to care, unless in First/Business. For example, I’ve straight up greeted FA’s before (when flying economy) and have been ignored at least three times–straight to my face. I could see if I was hideously ugly, smelled bad, a problem on the plane or whatever else. Not applicable..so that’s unacceptable.
3) Despite that, I still try to always bring candy or treats for the crew, as I know the job is difficult. I simply do it because I have friends in the business. It can go a long way in an often thankless job. However, one should not have to bribe someone to do the job they are being paid to do.
4) Regarding FA’s that I know personally or know of from social media, some are great and some are not. It seems some bases have heavy elitism and attitude (ATL–Delta, EWR–United) and some bases are less so (Texas bases especially).
5) In my experience domestically, Hawaiian and Southwest FA’s have been the best. Very hit or miss for the big three. Overall, it’s the service business. Customers are paying for a service where the individual providing the service is expected to be friendly, efficient, and accommodating. If the employee can’t do that, they should find another job. Seems clear to me.
As a father who occasionally flies with my teen daughter alone I am all too familiar with the questioning. While I will say that it mostly is from TSA, I live in dread of the embarrassment each time. Luckily my daughter is used to the “casual” questions, which are clearly attempts at prying. Her calmness now was not the case when she was younger, then she was scared and confused.
The problem with “empowering” FA’s with more of this nonsense is that they are the last people you want making decisions on something so sensitive. You can train them all you want (just as you do to provide world class service and they rarely do) but in the end many of them will, like always, miss the obvious and stir up drama where there is none. Just because they are desperate for validation as being some kind of first responder hero.
Honestly, TSA is better equipped, regardless of how degrading it is, to ask the questions that are often posed. “This man is your father?” “Sorry, what’s your last name as I can’t pronounce it from your id?” “Headed home or on vacation? “Ah, where is home?” It lines up with casual id checks etc. While still obvious it’s at least at a proper point and less intrusive. What’s a flight attendant supposed to ask, “Would you like some juice and do you feel ok next to this man?”
Please, stop giving FA’s any more reason to make excuses for not doing their real job.
Your comment is heartbreaking. For a child to try to understand this is so difficult. I can only hope that at least one child can be spared for this misdirection. Your kid is a trooper. Please tell her so. I have stepsons & traveling internationally was a nightmare. Until they were older, bigger and able to push back.
My feelings are if anyone, flight attendant or garbage man sees something, say something. But don’t empower people to just judge
We have mass human trafficking at the southern border with millions of illegals yet of course the government encourages flight attendants to abuse paying passengers on a whim by playing detective when they should mind their own business. Shouldn’t flight attendants be asked if they are victims of human trafficking? They move from place to place and go from city to city. They don’t make eye contact with passengers sometimes, they are often uncommunicative, and follow a script for responses.
I can’t blame flight attendants for being suspicious of kids of a different race from “parents”. It is odd. I don’t know the woke take on it but a couple adopting a kid of a different race is depriving the child of their native culture and heritage. Adoption of Russian kids to the west stopped 15 years ago after a number of problems. I hope African adoptions stopped as well. When an African mother dies in childbirth or gives her baby for adoption I don’t think she intends her baby to go 5000 miles away to be raised in Salt Lake City. Mixed race kids born to their actual parents also stand out. It just does. It’s a product of colonialism from the Arab conquest of North Africa, the mongol conquest of Eurasia, slavery of Africans, and Spanish colonies in the Americas to West involvement in Vietnam.
Still, trusting flight attendants to play detective scares me. I rather they just leave people alone and do their jobs unless an obvious case of human trafficking is without a doubt occurring.
FA’s have stopped actual occurrences previously. But to your last point that is how many of them probably look at the task, which is fair enough. Flight Attendant is a jack of all trades type role–they need to be able to observe and respond to a multitude of different issues. I doubt they are policing the cabin on this as much as they did for masks..
Flight attendants on flights chartered by Ron Desantis should definitely be on alert for human trafficking
As ridiculous as that move was, it did shine some awareness on how out of control the situation is with immigration currently. Still, I didn’t support it. However, I do think that Biden allowing the border to deteriorate to the present condition is way worse than what RD did. Illegal immigration is still illegal at this time.
“There are no consequences” for a false report…
Maybe not for an angry, sexist flight attendant.