Passenger was kicked off plane after shouting 'ooh, sexy' while flight attendants performed safety drill

A male passenger was kicked off a plane for allegedly sexually harassing female cabin crew members while they carried out the pre-flight safety demonstration.

The aircraft was preparing for take-off when the man shouted 'ooh, sexy' at a flight attendant who was demonstrating how to use an inflatable life vest.

The rude remark shocked those on board, including Amber D. Nelson, who was seated in the row in front of the man.

She said the flight attendant took off the life vest and challenged the man before he was escorted off the plane in front of stunned passengers.

Amber described Monday's degrading incident, which occurred on an Alaska Airlines flight at Seattle-Tacoma airport, in a Facebook post which has gone viral. 

She wrote: "Today I had an experience that drove home so powerfully the way it feels to be a woman in the world today.

"Before take off from SeaTac the flight attendants ran through their safety rules as they always do. Not all of us were paying very close attention.

"But a man in the row behind me changed all that by calling out 'ooh, sexy!' in response to a female flight attendant demonstrating how to use the life vest."

The man was in the middle seat between two women who were "clearly uncomfortable" after hearing the comment.

Amber, who shared "uncomfortable glances" with two women in her row, wrote: "Every woman I know has been through this kind of degrading experience. We were trapped on a plane with a guy who clearly disrespected women and saw us as his own personal entertainment.

"We all looked expectantly at each other, what will we do? How will we handle this? We can't let him treat her like this because, aside from the fact that it's wrong, we all know that if he treats her like this, the five of us sitting around him are now maligned just like her."

That's when the flight attendant removed her vest, walked up to the man and told him: "You need to be respectful."

He replied: "Come on, I'm just playing with you."

Flight attendants abandoned the demonstration and gathered to discuss the incident.

After a few tense moments an official boarded the aircraft to remove the passenger.

Amber wrote: "The offensive man behind me started saying 'I didn't do anything wrong! I didn't do anything wrong!'

"The airline employee asked the man to gather his belongings and exit the plane.

"It was everything we could do to keep from applauding as he was led away."

Amber saluted Alaska Airlines for taking the matter seriously and supporting its crew over the demeaning behaviour.

She wrote: "I felt honored as a patron of the airline - and as a woman - because Alaska Airlines supported their staff and those of us on board who were demeaned by another passenger's juvenile and exceedingly disrespectful behavior. Thank you for taking this seriously."

An Alaska Airlines spokesperson said: "We stand behind the actions taken by our employees."