Randi Zuckerberg complains of sexual harassment on Alaska Airlines flight from fellow passenger

The businesswoman said the experience left her feeling 'disgusted and degraded'

American businesswoman tweeted a letter of complaint (Getty Images)

Randi Zuckerberg, American businesswoman and sister of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, said she felt "disgusted and degraded" after being sexually harassed by a fellow passenger aboard an Alaska Airlines flight.

The best-selling author of DotComplicated tweeted a copy of the letter she sent to the airline after the incident, in which she claims the passenger next to her made repeated lewd sexual remarks.

She tweeted: "The flight attendants told me he was a frequent flier, brushed off his behaviour and kept giving him drinks. I guess his money means more than our safety?"

In the attached letter, Zuckerberg writes that before her flight from LA to Mazatlan, Mexico, had even taken off, the passenger next to her in first class "began making explicit, lewd, and highly offensive sexual comments" to her, talked about " touching himself" and asked her if she fantasised about her female colleague. Zuckerberg also claims he "rated and commented on the women's bodies boarding the aircraft as they walked by us."

What angered Zuckerberg more than the man's behaviour was the way in which airline staff dealt with the situation, she said.

"When I brought it to the flight attendants' attention, their response was that this guy was a frequent Alaska Airlines traveller on this exact route, and they have had to talk to him about his behaviour in the past, but oh well, don't take it personally, this guy doesn't have a filter."

Zuckerberg said the flight attendants came by a few times and "sweetly asked the passenger, 'Are you behaving today?' with a smile and a giggle."

When she complained of feeling uncomfortable, the former Facebook spokesperson said the cabin crew offered to move her to a seat at the back of the plane, but she declined.

"Why should I have to move?" she said. "I am the one that is being harassed!"

She added: "Why is it the woman that needs to switch seats in this situation? Shouldn't he have been thrown off the plane?!"

Zuckerberg said she was furious at the passenger for making her uncomfortable and furious at herself for not causing more of a scene at the time.

"But I am even more furious with Alaska Airlines for knowingly and willingly providing this man with a platform to harass women," she said. "For knowing about this behaviour and being more concerned with taking his money than for the safety and security of the other passengers around him."

Since sharing the letter on twitter it has been retweeted over 3,000 times.

However, the airline has since responded to Zuckerberg's complaint. Earlier today she tweeted: "UPDATE: I just got off the phone with two executives from @AlaskaAir who informed me that they are conducting an investigation and have temporarily suspended this passenger’s travel privileges. Thank you for taking this seriously."