An FBI investigation is underway regarding an allegations of a spy camera found by a teenage passenger in the lavatory of an American Airlines flight from Charlotte to Boston. Police and the FBI have said that they are treating it as potentially a criminal act.
CCTV cameras for general surveillance are present in cabins and certain sensitive areas to ensure passenger safety.
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 is reported that a teenage passenger wished to use the lavatory onboard, but she was stopped by a male flight attendant stating that he had to wash his hands.
Shortly after that, the passenger used the bathroom. However, after this, reports suggest that the passenger’s mother was cautioning other passengers from using the same lavatory due to a hidden camera located inside it.
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 lavatory in question.
Since the incident took place in the air it seems likely that the FBI will pick up the investigation.
Simple Flying reached out to American Airlines and received the following 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 in their investigation, as safety and security are our highest priorities.”
The statement did not contain any details of what actually happened, or was alleged to have happened.
While in no situation is it permissible to have cameras in the aircraft lavatory, it is worth noting that for general surveillance of cabins, CCTV cameras can often be discovered onboard aircraft.
These are generally used to monitor the cabin and certain sensitive areas, such as the entrance to the cockpit, and are in place to ensure the safety of the passengers and the flight. Additionally, on larger aircraft, CCTV cameras in the cabin can enable the crew to monitor areas that are out of the crew members’ line of sight.
While it was previously thought that certain airlines have inbuilt cameras in the In Flight Enterntainment (IFE) screens for individual passenger monitoring, this has been claimed to be false as the airlines confirmed that the cameras have never been activated, nor will they ever be activated. Additionally, it is suggested that most modern IFE systems, as standard, have an integrated camera in them but are rarely activated.
Source: Simpleflying.com.
