"If Only a Child Was On Board, No Men Allowed in Adjacent Seat"…When Asked Why, "Because 98% of Sexual Crimes Are Committed by Men"

Male Passenger Moved from Seat Next to Unaccompanied Minors
The Passenger Filed a Complaint, Saying "It Was Very Unpleasant"
Norwegian Authorities Rule "Air France Policy Is Discriminatory"

Norwegian authorities have ruled that an airline's policy of not seating male passengers next to unaccompanied minors on board constitutes clear discrimination. On the 14th (local time), foreign media including AFP reported that the Norwegian Equality and Anti-Discrimination Tribunal made this decision in a complaint case filed by a man named Dominique Sellier against Air France.

Norwegian authorities have ruled that an airline's policy of not seating male passengers next to unaccompanied children on board constitutes clear discrimination. On the 14th (local time), AFP and other foreign media reported that the Norwegian Equality and Anti-Discrimination Tribunal made this decision in a complaint case filed by a man named Dominique Sellier against Air France. The photo is unrelated to the specific content of the article. Pixabay

Previously, around October 2022, Sellier was seated next to two unaccompanied minors on an Air France flight from Oslo to Paris. Upon seeing this seating arrangement, a flight attendant explained the airline's policy to Sellier before takeoff and asked him to switch seats with a female passenger. Regarding the situation, Sellier told AFP in an interview, "It was not a very pleasant situation," adding, "Other passengers around me were waiting for me to change seats, and some seemed to look at me suspiciously." Afterwards, Sellier filed a lawsuit against Air France, arguing that the policy justified 'discrimination.'

In the lawsuit, Air France's representative argued during the hearing that the flight attendant was merely following company policy, which is based on the fact that 97.9% of suspects in sexual offense cases are male. According to AFP's confirmation, Air France has a policy that, when flights are fully booked, female passengers should be seated next to unaccompanied minors whenever possible. Air France also countered that treating male and female passengers differently is necessary to protect unaccompanied minors from risks such as human trafficking and other forms of violence and assault.

In response to Air France's claims, Sellier criticized, "Should I have to accept this kind of suspicion just because I am male?" and stated, "Air France made the error of hasty generalization about men." The Norwegian Equality and Anti-Discrimination Tribunal accepted Sellier's claims after the hearing. However, even after winning the case, Sellier revealed that he has not received any compensation or apology from Air France.