A flight attendant working for Alaska Airlines has been praised after describing how her quick thinking allowed a young passenger to escape the clutches of a human trafficker.

Shelia Fedrick, 49, was working on a flight from Seattle to San Francisco in 2011 when she noticed a teenage girl, aged around 14, travelling with a well-dressed older man.

The girl had greasy blonde hair and, according to Fedrick, "looked like she had been through pure hell".

Speaking to WTSP, Fedrick said she tried to speak to the pair - but the girl remained silent and the man responded defensively.

Alaksa Airlines credit: Alaksa Airlines

Speaking under her breath, Fedrick instructed the girl to visit one of the plane's toilets, where she left a note for her on the mirror. The girl left a message in the same place confirming that she needed help.

Fedrick informed the pilot, who alerted police. Officers were waiting at the terminal when the plane arrived in San Francisco and it was subsequently discovered that the girl was the victim of human trafficking.

Fedrick said: “I’ve been a flight attendant for 10 years and it’s like I am going all the way back to when I was in training.

"And I was like, I could have seen these young girls and young boys and didn’t even know. If you see something, say something.”

Fedrick is still in touch with the girl, who is now attending college: "I put my phone number on the note that I left for her and I guess she memorised it, so a few weeks later, she called me," she said.

In 2016, 2,000 people were arrested for human trafficking by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, with 400 victims freed.