Woman files $75K lawsuit against WestJet after alleging harassment by crew
A woman has filed a lawsuit against WestJet after she says a crew member “bullied, embarrassed, intimidated, and demeaned” her throughout a flight last year.
Los Angeles-based actor Charlet Chung shared a statement about the lawsuit on her Instagram on Wednesday.
“Today, after much thought and consideration, I filed a lawsuit against WestJet for the outrageous treatment I received on a flight last October from Winnipeg to L.A.,” she wrote.
Daily Hive first reported this story last November. Chung had documented the incident, which went viral when she shared the footage on TikTok.
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What happened on the WestJet flight
Chung told Daily Hive last year that it all started during the boarding process when the passenger sitting behind her began hitting and pushing her seat continuously for over 20 minutes.
Despite not saying a word when she turned around to check if an adult or a child was kicking her seat, Chung said the passenger behind her immediately expressed anger.
“Oh, just chill out. F*ck off,” she recalled him saying.
Passenger sitting behind Charlet Chung, who allegedly kicked her seat and told her to “f*ck off” (chihyechung/TikTok)
Chung said she was relieved when a flight attendant showed up at that moment so she could reach out for help. She explained the situation to the crew member, but the passenger behind her denied swearing or kicking her seat, according to Chung.
“Instead of helping me, the WestJet flight attendant sided with the white male passenger without inquiry, assumed I was the instigator, and treated me with condescension and threats,” reads the actor’s statement from this week.
“She made me leave my seat and then proceeded to bully, embarrass, intimidate, and demean me throughout the flight.”
In the TikTok video, you can see the actor mainly communicating with a flight attendant, who says her name is Tricia. The crew member insisted that Chung was being “belligerent and unruly.”
@chihyechung See my full statement and account on my next post. This is @WestJet flight attendant Tricia. She and her crew threatened to offload and arrest me 3 times from the plane after I was cursed at by another passenger. What ensues for the next 4.5 hours was me being forced to move seats, then being isolated and harassed for the entire duration of this horrific flight. In almost 200 flights I’ve taken in the past 8 years, this Westjet crew and 2 passengers put me through the most distressing, dehumanizing experience I’ve ever had on a plane. This is the only footage I had because I was in fear. During the most aggressive moments, like when they were literally yelling at me, I was in shock and was too scared to film. What happened: During boarding, the man you see in the video was continuously hitting and pushing my seat for over 20 min. I’m in 1A and he is in 2A in back of me. I finally peeked between the seats to see what was going on but didn’t say a word and he spews out,“Oh just chill (then) FU*K OFF”. I responded by saying,“Excuse me? Did you just tell me to fu*k off?”Tricia comes over from the hallway to see what’s going on and I inform her about the man(thinking she would help me)Next thing I know, I’m being threatened to be offboarded and later, arrested. This was a 4.5hr flight of incessant abuse by the crew. The flight attendants’ relentless bullying was an agonizing experience. I was trapped. The most distressing part was not being able to stop them from talking to/harassing me while the passenger who verbally accosted me was free to do as he pleased and was fully protected. The panic attacks and flashbacks of feeling trapped and helpless on the plane and experiencing the PTSD from this aggressive crew and 2 passengers have not stopped. I have not been able to focus on anything since escaping this flight. @Westjet “Is this what you stand for?” Protect the man (who harassed me), put him on an untouchable pedestal then put me through a degrading, isolating experience for speaking up and asking for help as the victim? I will always stand up for myself (and others who may not have same voice I have) and I will not be silenced. Period. #westjet ♬ original sound – Charlet
Chung claimed that for the remainder of the trip, the other WestJet crew were “incessant” in deeming her as a threat, “isolating” and “harassing” her for the rest of the flight.
For example, the actor said other flight attendants began speaking to her “rudely” when they were serving food.
She also claimed that the crew “kept tabs” on her and that she could hear them snickering and making snide remarks about her.
The TikTok ends with Chung being given a notice explaining her potential arrest on the grounds of “verbal abuse” and “recordings.”
A year after the incident
According to Chung’s statement, since the incident, the male passenger has sent her an apology letter.
“He expressed sincere regret for his inappropriate behaviour and acknowledged how terribly the WestJet flight attendant treated me. I wish him and his family no ill will,” she wrote.
She said she’s most disappointed in the airline’s reaction to the incident.
“Instead of issuing an apology, the company vilified me and branded me a liar,” wrote Chung.
She said they issued a “false press statement” and then refused to take it down when she pointed out inaccuracies.
In a rare move, the carrier released a statement on Jan. 18, 2025, addressing Chung’s allegations. It was in response to a statement the actor shared on Jan. 16, detailing the beginning of the legal battle behind the scenes.
WestJet stated that while it acknowledged her experience on board was “not a positive one for her, based on the information provided to us, her allegations of harassment and discrimination against WestJet are unfounded.”
The company went on to say that it never instructed Chung to remain silent in any form or to refrain from discussing the incident online, and it had followed instructions since November 2024 to communicate exclusively through her legal counsel.
“We have been timely and respectful in our communications on this matter, and typically refrain from addressing allegations of this nature publicly. However, Ms. Chung’s most recent comments online warrant this clarification,” the airline stated.
It’s important to note that there was no mention of the airline silencing Chung in her Jan. 16 statement. However, she did accuse the company of deleting and hiding comments on their posts.
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In Chung’s latest statement, she said that she has spent over a year trying to discuss a potential resolution with WestJet, “only to be strung along and ultimately ghosted.”
“I made the difficult decision to file a lawsuit because, as I’ve said all along, I will not be bullied into silence,” she stated. “WestJet should be held accountable for its actions and corporate policies.”
The lawsuit, which was filed in a California court, is seeking over US$75,000 (C$104,000) in damages from the airline, claiming that it mishandled the incident, targeted the passenger rather than the aggressor, and issued a defamatory public statement.
Public outcry for Chung
Shortly after Chung’s story went viral last year, people spammed WestJet social media accounts demanding an apology for the actor.
The same is happening now after the actor posted her latest statement.
“After watching Mrs. Chung’s video of what transpired on her horrifying flight back to LA, I will never fly Westjet!” reads one comment.
@WestJet/Instagram
“@westjet do better. The way you treated Ms Chung was absolutely unacceptable,” added another.
@WestJet/Instagram
Daily Hive has requested comment from WestJet and will update this story when it responds.