A teenage girl who was allegedly groped by an elderly man on a flight has claimed the airline blamed her for wearing “extremely short shorts”.

Chelsea Schiffel was 15 when she was allegedly groped by the man on a United Airlines flight between LA and Sydney.

Travelling with her mother in 2014, she alleges she was touched twice by the man when her mother got up to talk to a family member at the back of the plane.

According to Australian media reports, Chelsea’s mother complained to staff and requested she and her daughter were moved, which was not granted by flight staff.

The family later attempted to take legal action against United Airlines but were reportedly hampered by a lack of evidence.

In a letter sent to the family seen by NewsCorp, the airline stated: “The flight attendants and passengers also stated that you and your daughter were allowed to move to other seats several times, that Chelsea repeatedly moved in and out of her seat, crawling over the other customer who was attempting to sleep, and that your daughter wore extremely short shorts,” the letter said.

“You have provided no evidence of any negligence on the part of United regarding this matter.”

Chelsea told the news organisation that having the airline cite her clothing felt like she was being blamed for the incident: “For me it comes across, by them saying that, [it] feels like they were telling me that I was asking for it.”

A spokesperson for United Airlines said in a statement: “United is committed to providing a safe and comfortable travel experience. We are sorry about the experience Ms. Schiffel reported.