u/Environmental_Ear_48

Location: Connecticut, USA

I appreciate any help on how to proceed. I asked the airport police how to report the incident, and was told that I should have called the police from the plane, and that they would have met me there to handle the situation. I was then told the only thing I can do is file a complaint with the airline.

The story:

I, 47F was on a flight with my husband and 3 kids. I was sitting next to my daughters. The man sitting behind me kept kicking my seat, pulling it every time he went to the bathroom (he must have gone 5 times during the 6 hour flight). The woman next to him asked my daughter to move up her seat so she could have more space. Very entitled people who should have paid for first class. They’re both Spanish on a Spanish airline where the crew speaks limited English.

When meal was served, the man behind me asked me to move up my seat. I told him I couldn’t because the person in front of me was fully reclined. Every seat was reclined, except for my daughter’s because she chose to be cramped in order to appease the woman behind her.

The man would not take no for an answer and said something the flight attendant nearby. The flight attendant came over, pressed my seat button down without a word, and told me I had enough space. I was started and jerked my head back. As I tried to adjust my body , before even saying anything - he pinned me down to my seat! I told him he couldn’t touch me. He let go, looked at me, smiled, and did it again, but this time he touched me somewhere else. I just started crying I as type this.

I was exhausted, feeling ill, I posed no threat. I didn’t make a scene for fear of being arrested, and because my kids were on the plane.

I want to press charges but don’t know how. Where would I do that? CT, NY? Air Europa is based in Spain. I feel violated and discriminated against. Do I need a lawyer?

I appreciate any help.

is my longest Reddit post ever. TIA for reading , if you do.
I don’t often feel guilty; but when I do, it overwhelms me. It’d been a while since I’d felt this way, but then something happened yesterday and I can’t shake it off.

I am traveling abroad with my husband and children, something we had not done in a while. The kids have been pretty good with flight cancellations/ delays, but they’re at an age where complaining seems to be the norm. Plus they act quite entitled, and sometimes rude. I’m saying this to frame my state of mind.

Yesterday we were having lunch outdoors after a long train ride. I had slept very little for the past few nights, and had not had any coffee, which I’m addicted to, but which I can’t really have past a certain time.

As soon as we sat down, a few pigeons came over. My 13 y/o daughter pointed out that one of them had mangled feet. I said that it was sad and mentioned the time she saw one like that on another vacation and kept feeding it because the other pigeons were keeping it away from food. My daughter is very caring, and notices when people are in need before the rest of us do. She often asks me to buy people food, which I do.

Later in the afternoon we walked to an attraction we had scheduled. The city was bustling. I stopped at a store and kind of regretted my purchase. We were early, so the kids sat on a bench. My husband left to look for a bathroom. A man approached me trying to sell something, which I turned down. Right as the man walks away, my daughter asks me “can we buy food?” Mind you, we had just eaten so I asked her why. She said she wanted to lure a pigeon that had a string around its legs. I thought I heard my other daughter say someone else had tried, which I took to mean that it didn’t work. I don’t remember my answer, but then she asked again in this very demanding tone, that made me snap. I basically told her that I was tired of all the demands, that there were no food places I could see - right as I said that I saw a restaurant - that I didn’t know where her dad was I had to wait since we were not using cellular, and so on.

My reaction made the kids pause. Anyway, I forgot about the pigeon. When we left the bookstore the pigeon was right there. No one in line seemed to notice. I tried to catch it and my husband said I wouldn’t be able to do it. The pigeon had what looked like a hair tie around its feet, it almost looked as if it would come off if it flew away. But later the girls said that the string was tied around its feet and some toes, in which case it would be harder to remove. They also said the guy who tried had done it to another bird on TikTok, not where we were.

I was suddenly hit with intense guilt later in the evening. I felt bad for not trying harder to get lure when my daughter asked. I could have asked the restaurant for bread. I care about animals, and kept thinking that the pigeon could lose its feet. I decided to go back next morning and try to help it. I read that pigeons go to the same spot every day. I didn’t have scissors, so I brought nail clippers. I got a donut and startled feeding one pigeon, another appeared. Then came a third with most of its feet missing. It waked around and ate the food I gave it, and since I didn’t see one with the string, I think that that might be the one. I felt so sad and guilty.

Any ideas on how to deal with this feeling?

Thanks for reading.

is my longest Reddit post ever. TIA for reading , if you do.
I don’t often feel guilty; but when I do, it overwhelms me. It’d been a while since I’d felt this way, but then something happened yesterday and I can’t shake it off.

I am traveling abroad with my husband and children, something we had not done in a while. The kids have been pretty good with flight cancellations/ delays, but they’re at an age where complaining seems to be the norm. Plus they act quite entitled, and sometimes rude. I’m saying this to frame my state of mind.

Yesterday we were having lunch outdoors after a long train ride. I had slept very little for the past few nights, and had not had any coffee, which I’m addicted to, but which I can’t really have past a certain time.

As soon as we sat down, a few pigeons came over. My 13 y/o daughter pointed out that one of them had mangled feet. I said that it was sad and mentioned the time she saw one like that on another vacation and kept feeding it because the other pigeons were keeping it away from food. My daughter is very caring, and notices when people are in need before the rest of us do. She often asks me to buy people food, which I do.

Later in the afternoon we walked to an attraction we had scheduled. The city was bustling. I stopped at a store and kind of regretted my purchase. We were early, so the kids sat on a bench. My husband left to look for a bathroom. A man approached me trying to sell something, which I turned down. Right as the man walks away, my daughter asks me “can we buy food?” Mind you, we had just eaten so I asked her why. She said she wanted to lure a pigeon that had a string around its legs. I thought I heard my other daughter say someone else had tried, which I took to mean that it didn’t work. I don’t remember my answer, but then she asked again in this very demanding tone, that made me snap. I basically told her that I was tired of all the demands, that there were no food places I could see - right as I said that I saw a restaurant - that I didn’t know where her dad was I had to wait since we were not using cellular, and so on.

My reaction made the kids pause. Anyway, I forgot about the pigeon. When we left the bookstore the pigeon was right there. No one in line seemed to notice. I tried to catch it and my husband said I wouldn’t be able to do it. The pigeon had what looked like a hair tie around its feet, it almost looked as if it would come off if it flew away. But later the girls said that the string was tied around its feet and some toes, in which case it would be harder to remove. They also said the guy who tried had done it to another bird on TikTok, not where we were.

I was suddenly hit with intense guilt later in the evening. I felt bad for not trying harder to get lure when my daughter asked. I could have asked the restaurant for bread. I care about animals, and kept thinking that the pigeon could lose its feet. I decided to go back next morning and try to help it. I read that pigeons go to the same spot every day. I didn’t have scissors, so I brought nail clippers. I got a donut and startled feeding one pigeon, another appeared. Then came a third with most of its feet missing. It waked around and ate the food I gave it, and since I didn’t see one with the string, I think that that might be the one. I felt so sad and guilty.

Any ideas on how to deal with this feeling?

Thanks for reading.