Stars blast United Airlines over leggings ban

A bystander who touched off a social media furor after she saw United Airlines stop two teenage girls dressed in leggings from boarding a flight admitted on Monday that she did not fully grasp the situation when she started tweeting her indignation.

United pointed out a rule in their Contract of Carriage, which indicates that a passenger can be refused if that person is “not properly clothed“. It explained that the discretion to refuse was left to the agents. If you paid $195 for a pair of plastic Salvatore Ferragamo flip-flops at Neiman Marcus, are you properly clothed?

United Airlines spokesman Jonathan Guerin confirmed to The Washington Post the two teens were not allowed on the flight. It seems archaic, given the casual attire of modern air travel, but airlines believe that buddy pass users, like employees, are representing the airline.

“Our regular passengers are not going to be denied boarding because they are wearing leggings or yoga trousers”, Guerin said. However, pass riders should not wear such clothing as it was part of a company rule.

“This policy has been an industry standard for a very long time and every airline has their own policy and this time I think it might be time to review these policies”, he said. The airline company tweeted that the young passengers were not in compliance with the company’s dress code policy.

But for much of that to be possible, United would need to have a social media team that is fit for goal. Celebrities even took to Twitter to voice their opinion.

In terms of the policy, it feels outrageous to some and unrealistic to many that leggings would not be suitable travel wear for children and teens, let alone grown adults, non-rev or otherwise.

“Our regular passengers are not going to be denied boarding because they are wearing leggings or yoga trousers”, he said. Guerin said no gate staff had raised any issues with the girl or her family about her outfit, but she had changed anyway. A third, younger girl was reportedly forced to change into a dress prior to boarding. “Nothing on a plane offends me more than a comfortable woman”. “Next time I will wear only jeans and a scarf”, Teigen wrote on Twitter. It was an unforced error reminiscent of the unsolicited attention the airline got back in 2009, when the Canadian band Sons of Maxwell had an unexpected Youtube hit with a hummable tune entitled “United Breaks Guitars”.