United Airlines barred girls due to their inappropriate dressing. Social media evangelists have accused the airlines of body shaming.
It all started when a ten-year-old was told to change before she could get onboard the flight. The gate agent told her that girls wearing spandex were not allowed to onboard a flight.
The United Airlines did not shy away from the criticism. Instead, it defended its decision for refusing the passenger by referring to its Contract of Carriage Rule 21.
The Twitter account of the United Airlines continued defending the airlines’ decision of disallowing the girl passengers from getting onboard.
Why United Airlines Barred Girls from Getting Onboard
Regular customers of United Airlines can wear leggings or spandex. However, United Airlines barred girls from getting on the flight because they were not regular passengers.
The girls stopped from getting onboard were among the “United Pass Travelers.” The Airline issues United Passes to company employees or their eligible dependents.
Dress Code for United Pass Travelers
United Airlines clarified that it had a proper dress code for the United Pass Travelers. The travelers were barred from onboarding the United Airlines because they were not following the dress code. The basic rule of the dress code is that United Pass Travelers must not wear form-fitting spandex tops, dresses, and pants.
Her is the statement that United Airlines released about its passengers.
“We care about the way we present ourselves to you, our customers, as we believe that is part of the experience on board our flights. One of the benefits of working for an airline is that our employees can travel the world. Even better, they can extend this privilege to a select number of what we call ‘pass riders.’ These are relatives or friends who also receive the benefit of free or heavily discounted air travel – on our airline as well as on airlines around the world where we have mutual agreements in place for employees and pass riders.”
The airline said that it never minded the regular passengers wearing leggings on the flight.
“To our regular customers, your leggings are welcome.”
It said that every company had its dress code and the company wanted its employees to follow that dress code.
The airline further added that the passengers it denied getting onboard were not complying with its established dress code. United Airlines also mentioned that the passengers traveling for free already knew about the dress code as the company had already clarified it to its employees about the policy.
Reaction on the Social Media
People on social media strongly reacted to the news of girls barred from getting on the flight.
Here is the tweets by Shannon Watts.
Here is how Christine Teigen responded to the incident.
Sarah Silverman pointed that rules should be the same for regular passengers as well as friends and family members.
