EXCLUSIVE: Where in the World is Southwest Airlines Pilot Michael Haak?
He's been spotted on the dating app Bumble, but the retired captain can’t be located to be served in Christine Janning’s civil suit
The usual content advisory and trigger warning for discussion of sexual assault
Anyone wanting to reach Janning’s attorney Frank Podesta about anything relating to this case can confidentially contact StopAirlineAssault@proton.me
If you are a current or former FLIGHT ATTENDANT interested in telling your story of sexual assault anonymously in a new documentary series, you can reach me confidentially at: MeTooAirlines@proton.me. READ ABOUT THE DOCUSERIES HERE.
Former Southwest Airlines pilot Michael Haak, who pleaded guilty in 2021 to stripping off, exposing his genitals and watching pornography in the cockpit while horrified first officer Christine Janning took command of the aircraft after he left his seat, cannot be found to be served in the civil suit she filed September 26.
Yet I’m told Haak, who was named in the suit along with Southwest Airlines and Southwest Airlines Pilots Association (SWAPA), has come up as a match on the dating app Bumble in the central Florida area in recent weeks. (The app shows matches in your nearby area or, depending on your settings, slightly outside your immediate location).
On the dating app, Haak goes by “James, 62,” and has posted a picture of himself sitting in a cockpit wearing a Southwest Airlines captain’s uniform. This choice is an interesting one given his history.
According to Janning’s lawsuit, Haak did more than watch pornography on that Southwest Airlines flight from Philadelphia to Orlando on August 10, 2020: As the passenger jet hurtled through the sky at hundreds of miles an hour with dozens of souls aboard, its pilot was masturbating for a full 30 minutes “in front of Ms. Janning while watching pornography on a tablet.”
Haak, who has been labeled a “cockpit creep” by the Daily Beast in their story about the case after my exclusive ran, also features shots of himself grinning at the gym and raising his arms in what appears to be a post-bicycle ride photo.
He describes himself on his Bumble profile this way:
“Empty nester, ready and very interested in travel, active/fit playing sports/training, meeting new friends, motorcycle, being silly, sometimes I find it difficult acting my age. Retired/former military. Feel the Bern? Swipe left please. Hoping to meet an athletic, adventurous woman.”
Janning’s lawsuit alleges Haak assaulted and/or harassed other victims before her. In her filing, Janning, who is now a captain, alleges that “Cpt. Haak had been reported for exposing himself to flight attendants and other pilots in a hotel following a flight, and for disseminating nude photographs of his wife to flight attendants in a misguided effort to convince them to have sex with him.”
The suit says Haak attended training at a location run by Richardson Management Associates, Ltd. in Montreal, Canada, referred to colloquially as “Charm School.”
“Prior to his interactions with Ms. Janning, Cpt. Haak had been sent to the Charm School at least once in his career following an incident in 2008 during which Cpt. Haak sexually assaulted a Southwest flight attendant after forcing himself into her hotel room,” the court documents allege.
Also: According to court records, a woman who at one time lived nearby Haak’s home in Florida accused him of stalking her.
His guilty plea in the federal criminal case did not require him to register as a sex offender.
Both Southwest and SWAPA did not respond to requests for comment on this case. Both have been served in the case and have retained counsel, I’m told.
After visiting various addresses connected to Haak in the Orlando/Orange County area, process servers have come up empty. I’m told they’re expanding their search of the state now.
The next step if no one can find Haak after other avenues are deemed to be exhausted is to serve him by publication, which means publishing the details of the suit in a local newspaper.
I have contacted Haak’s attorney in the 2021 criminal case, but he has declined to speak with me it is unclear who is representing Haak in the new civil case.
Christine Janning Championing Other Women in Aviation
I spoke to Janning’s attorney Frank Podesta, who says his office has heard from even more alleged victims of Haak.
“Since the lawsuit has gone public, we are aware of several new victims who have reached out,” Podesta said, adding that some have identified other alleged offenders within the airline, as well.
Podesta says he and Janning believe there are still more victims out there and are hoping more will come forward, I’m told. Over the years she worked her way up to captain, Janning took on a wide array of roles in the aviation industry: She’s been a flight attendant, an engineer, and she’s fueled and washed the planes, among other things.
When asked how Janning is doing, Podesta, a partner in the law firm FGP Law, LLC, replied, “She’s OK. Obviously this has been scarring; she was trapped in a cockpit with a potential sexual assault situation. She sued for sexual assault, but it almost became a sexual battery. All he had to do was take it one step further—and Christine didn’t know whether he would or not.”
By filing this suit, he said, “Her goal is about raising awareness and change. The stats, the numbers, at Southwest are terrible. No more than 3.6 percent of pilots are women. You can imagine how many are women of color.
“It’s an incredibly unrepresented area. They’re not represented in the union. They’re not represented in management anywhere. These claims pouring in where flight attendants or pilots are being sexually harassed, assaulted or battered, [the perpetrators are getting] slaps on the wrist.”
He said his client is seeking a change in the industry and to shed a light on what goes on, especially with alleged attempts and pressure by the airline to silence victims with nondisclosure agreements (NDAs).
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