Southwest Airlines wants you to report 'unwelcome behavior'

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (CNN) — If you're already asleep during the pre-flight announcements, you're likely to miss it.

Southwest Airlines is asking passengers to report any "unwelcome behavior" on their airplanes to the flight attendants on duty.

As of January 22, it's now part of the airline's required pre-flight emergency briefing and demonstration, right after the instructions about operating oxygen masks.

"We are here for your comfort and safety," said the flight attendant on the ground at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Georgia. "Please report any unwelcome behavior to your flight attendant. Thank you for your attention."

"This change reflects Southwest's commitment to ensuring a safe and welcoming environment at all times," Southwest spokesman Brian Parrish told CNN, via email, confirming the language had recently been added to the airline's pre-flight briefing.

The airline wants to remind customers that their flight attendants, who are known throughout the industry for making their flights fun, "are an approachable, professional resource for reporting any unwelcome behaviors or conduct during a flight," Parrish said.

Southwest's flight attendants have established procedures, which may include re-seating a customer away from the person exhibiting the "unwelcome behavior," requesting that the offending customer stop whatever offensive behavior they're doing, notifying the captain and seeking law enforcement assistance upon landing, Parrish said.

There are a growing number of reports of people being assaulted in flight and not knowing what to do at 30,000 feet, including kidnapping victim Elizabeth Smart.

FBI investigations into midair sexual assaults increased by 66% from fiscal year 2014 to 2017. The bureau said it had opened 63 investigations into sexual assault on aircraft in 2017, compared with 57 in 2016, 40 in 2015 and 38 in 2014.

Other airline crews have had to deal with sexual harassment in the sky as well.

The airline told CNN in October 2019 that its that seat-to-seat messaging was already being phased out across the fleet at the time of the incident.

While United Airlines doesn't include harassment-related language in its pre-flight briefing, the airline instituted enhanced training in 2018 to help flight attendants recognize harassment and unwelcome conduct.

Flight attendants are empowered to remove customers who are being harassed from those situations, United spokeswoman Kimberly Gibbs said.

American Airlines doesn't include such language either, but a spokesman says its flight attendants "are trained to address a wide range of issues that may arise inflight, and are empowered to take action in response to any situation that would detract from a customer's journey with us.

"We strive to create a safe, inclusive and comfortable environment for our customers and team members, and we do not tolerate unwelcome or inappropriate behavior of any kind," said American spokesman Derek Walls.

Anthony L. Black, a representative for Delta Air Lines, told CNN Travel that "We have language for both our on-board video and in-flight announcements that encourages customers to flight attendants if they need assistance."

He added: "We also continue to review our communications for opportunities to update our messages."

CNN Travel has reached out to Alaska Airways and JetBlue Airways about their policies. The airlines have not yet responded.

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