Eyes in the Sky
Flight attendant April Johnson spots human trafficking in the air.
October 3, 2019
After an unsettling conversation with a male passenger, a flight attendant sensed a red flag.
April, the flight attendant, wanted to see more about this man and who he was sitting with. She decided to do an extra garbage sweep through the cabin, trying to make it look routine. She found the man in an aisle seat, with two young women sitting next to him in the middle and window seats.
“I got chills when I walked by,” April said.
Neither of the women had a book, an iPad, or a phone that she could see. They weren’t sleeping, they were just sitting there rigid.
It seemed odd. During beverage service, April’s coworker noticed that one young woman wouldn’t speak at all. When she asked her if she’d like a drink, she didn’t look at her or answer. The other woman looked over and answered for her, “She doesn’t want anything.”
When they arrived at their destination, and deplaned, April just didn’t feel right so she filed an incident report. She later learned that the man had been arrested for sex trafficking as a direct result of her report.
This is just one example of the dramatic impact that training and awareness has in disrupting human trafficking. Your support helps BEST expand Flights to Freedom, a training specifically to educate airport employees on what to look for and how to safely respond.
This training is now available for airports nationwide! Learn more.
