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Sexual assault on planes is on the rise and the feds have had it

Assault someone on a plane, and you could wind up on an FBI press release.

Earlier this year, on a flight from London to Seattle, a woman in her early 20s said she fell asleep after taking an anti-anxiety pill and drinking a glass of wine, and woke up to find her seatmate sexually assaulting her, with his hand in her underwear.

On another flight earlier this year, from Anchorage to Seattle, another woman in her early 20s said she was harassed unrelentingly by the man sitting next to her. She said he tried to grab her hand, ask her personal questions, and grabbed her breast and thigh while pretending to be asleep.

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In-flight scenarios like these are increasingly common, and the FBI is warning that they’re taking them very seriously.

On Thursday, federal prosecutors in Seattle announced sexual abuse charges against the male suspects in the above cases, Babak Rezapour, 41, and Nicholas Matthews Stevens, 37, respectively.

“Reports of sexual assaults on aircraft are increasing, and we want the public to know these assaults are federal crimes and will be investigated and prosecuted consistent with the law,” said U.S. Attorney Annette L. Hayes in a statement. “We urge the flying public to report assaults to airline personnel and law enforcement and assist victims who need help. The skies will be safer for all of us.”

“The skies will be safer for all of us”

The FBI has been leading a campaign to raise awareness about sexual assault on airplanes, which includes posters with the reminder “Be Air Aware: Sexual assault on an aircraft is a federal crime.”

Earlier this year, FBI special agent David Rodski said that the number of sexual assault cases reported onboard commercial airline flights were increasing “at an alarming rate.” Rodski said that the assaults typically occur on long overnight flights, when lights are turned off and airplane staff are less likely to walk past.

In 2014, airplane passengers reported 38 instances of sexual assault, compared to 63 instances in 2017. Meanwhile, a survey conducted by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, one of the world’s largest flight attendant unions, found that 68 percent of flight attendants reported being sexually harassed while they were working.

Cover: An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 jet taxis to a gate after landing at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Robert Alexander/Getty Images)