Crew on Swiss airline films 2 passengers having sex on plane, footage leaks, airline investigating

When a crew member onboard a Swiss International Air Lines flight saw on a monitor that two passengers were having sex mid-flight on Nov. 29, a decision was made to record it.

While filming the scene, the crew member also made an explicit comment, reported Swiss news outlet 20 Minuten.

"One more sip of champagne", the comment went, before describing a sex act.

The footage was subsequently somehow leaked and began circulating widely on social media, which prompted the airline to launch an investigation into the incident.

What happened

According to Business Insider, the incident took place on a flight from Bangkok, Thailand, to Zurich, Switzerland, on Nov. 29.

In the video, the passengers could be seen copulating in the aircraft's galley, which was in close proximity to the cockpit, reported 20 Minuten.

German aviation media outlet Aerotelegraph reported that besides the crew member's comment on the pair, the video also captured individuals in the cockpit laughing.

Later on, when a flight attendant arrived at the galley, the passengers had already parted ways.

The video ended with the crew member pointing the camera outside the cockpit window, showing the view at over 10,000m above ground.

Airline statement

In response to media queries, a Swiss spokesperson confirmed that the airline was aware of the video.

The spokesperson emphasised that the airline "is taking the incident very seriously" and "is investigating the exact circumstances with the utmost care".

According to the spokesperson, the passengers were caught by a camera in the galley, which allowed pilots to conduct visual checks before opening the cockpit door.

The camera does not record anything on its own, and it only serves to secure access and ensure cockpit safety.

In this case, a crew member saw the passengers through a monitor on the flight deck and recorded the footage on a phone.

"Filming of the monitor by cockpit crew is only permitted in exceptional cases, such as to document safety-related incidents," added the spokesperson.

Denounced crew member's actions

Interestingly, the couple who were copulating could technically have been accorded a greater degree of privacy, going by the airline's response.

"Filming people without their clear consent and sharing these recordings contradict our guidelines and values," read the statement.

This behaviour also violated the data protection regulations, which apply to flights.

At the same time, the spokesperson characterised the comment made by the crew member as "disrespectful".

"[It is] in no way corresponds to the professional standards, Swiss values, and the behaviour we expect from our employees," added the spokesperson.

Passengers' behaviour 'inappropriate'

In the statement, the spokesperson also said the behaviour of the passengers in question was "inappropriate".

According to the spokesperson, in this case, Swiss employees "should have acted in line with [its] protocols and intervened immediately".

By choosing to film the scene rather than intervening, the crew member's behaviour failed to meet the standards Swiss sets for its employees.

"Why the crew did not act accordingly is the subject of the ongoing investigation," added the spokesperson.

Considering disciplinary measures

Besides investigating why defined processes were not followed, Swiss is also examining whether disciplinary measures are necessary, said the spokesperson.

The airline also plans to enhance employee education and training to help avoid similar incidents from happening again in the future.

For now, Swiss has published a message on the company intranet to warn its employees against further distribution of the video, reported 20 Minuten.

Top images via Swiss & X