A flight attendant is suing Southwest Airlines over an incident where she claimed two pilots had a secret camera set up in a plane’s lavatory and live-streamed the video into the cockpit.
According to a lawsuit first reported by the Arizona Republic, Renee Steinaker claimed that while she was working a flight between Phoenix and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Capt. Terry Graham asked her to cover for him in the cockpit while he used the restroom.
While Graham was in the bathroom, Steinaker claims an iPad mounted to the windshield showed a livestream from the lavatory.
According to Fox News, the lawsuit claims the co-pilot, Ryan Russell, panicked when Steinaker asked about the camera and claimed they were part of new top-secret security measures implemented by the airline.
Not believing her coworker, Steinaker took a photo of the iPad with her cellphone. Although crewmembers reported the pair of pilots, both reportedly still fly with the airline today, according to the lawsuit.
Steinaker claims she was explicitly told not to speak of the incident any further. Her lawsuit claims Steinaker and her husband, also a flight attendant, were stalked, monitored by managers in a “threatening and bizarre manner” and subjected to an increased number of performance audits after the incident.
Steinaker is also suing the airline for retaliation.
Southwest Airlines emailed a statement to the Arizona Republic, noting that the carrier does not use cameras in their planes’ washrooms.
“The safety and security of our employees and customers is Southwest’s uncompromising priority,” the airline said. “At this time, we have no other comment on the pending litigation.”
