Sen. Charles Schumer made an inappropriate comment about a flight attendant who demanded he turn off his cell phone, his office said Wednesday.

Schumer spokesman Max Young would not specify the remark, but said Schumer made the "off-the-cuff comment under his breath" after the flight attendant walked away. Young said the senator regrets the comment and apologized in a phone call to her.

The comment was first reported by the news Web site Politico, which said its source was a House Republican aide who was also on the New York-to-Washington US Airways flight Sunday. The report said Schumer complied when the attendant told Schumer to turn off his phone before takeoff, but then argued and made the remark when she walked away.

Schumer was sitting next to his fellow New York Democrat, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, at the time. Her office would not say whether she heard the remark but said she believes Schumer "did the right thing by apologizing."