WestJet denies sex-assault allegations from former B.C. flight attendant
VANCOUVER — WestJet is denying allegations it failed to take proper action after a former flight attendant complained to management she had been sexually assaulted by a pilot in 2010 while on a stopover in Hawaii.
In a statement of defence filed today in British Columbia Supreme Court, the Calgary-based company says it immediately launched an internal investigation into Mandalena Lewis’s complaint, but was ultimately unable to conclude the unnamed pilot had committed assault.
The airline says the pilot’s behaviour related to excessive drinking, partying and fraternizing with flight attendants failed to meet professional standards.
The document says the airline suspended the pilot, issued him a last-chance warning and depriving him of the privilege of international flights, adding that privacy laws prevented the company from sharing those disciplinary measures with Lewis.