Flight attendant Shelia Fredrick saved a girl in 2011 from human trafficking. Shelia was passing out drinks during the flight when she noticed a young girl with a bruise on her leg and old wrinkly clothes. When the girl made eye contact with her, she mouthed, “Go to the bathroom” where she had left a notepad, along with a pen. When Shelia returned to the restroom the notepad said, “I need help.” Shelia quickly informed the captain, and police were waiting for them when the plane landed.

Human trafficking is growing at an alarming rate. “Traffickers use commercial airlines all the time because it keeps them anonymous,” said Nancy Rivard, a former flight attendant and founder of Airline Ambassadors International. Shelia was very disappointed because she received very little training. “It’s incredible this isn’t industry-wide yet,” said Rivard. Samanatha Durfey attended one of Shelia’s orientations and said,“I saw red flags of what obviously or most likely was an act of human trafficking,” she said. “Some of the airlines do a little online training but that’s it.”