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Fashion that doesn't fly: The turbulent issue of airline dress code policies

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It has happened to a model, a medical doctor and a hairstylist, along with many other airline passengers: being singled out or denied boarding on a flight for their fashion choices.

The typical first move for passengers involved: airing their complaints on social media.

That鈥檚 what Aurora Culpo did when her sister Olivia Culpo, a model and former Miss Universe, had to cover up her black sports bra and biking shorts with a hoodie before boarding an American Airlines flight to Cabo San Lucas in 2022. Aurora, who was traveling with her sister, slammed American on social media.

Tisha Rowe, a Houston-based physician, also publicly criticized the Fort Worth-based carrier over a July 2019 incident in which she was asked to cover up her 鈥渢oo revealing鈥 floral outfit with a blanket on a flight from Jamaica to Miami.

Another highly publicized incident occurred on Alaska Airlines in August 2021, when police escorted a passenger wearing black shorts and, initially, a crop top off a flight upon landing. The passenger, Ray Lin Howard, a self-described hairstylist and rapper who goes by Fat Trophy Wife online, posted a video on TikTok of herself being questioned by authorities after the flight, which she was allowed to remain on. The video has more than 1.5 million likes and has been shared more than 10,000 times.

Most recently, a passenger took her outrage a step further by retaining high-profile civil rights attorney Gloria Allred after an incident on Delta Air Lines in January 2024. On a flight from Salt Lake City to San Francisco, Lisa Archbold said she was 鈥渢reated like a criminal鈥 for not wearing a bra under her top. She says she was escorted off the plane by the gate agent and allowed to fly only after she put a shirt over her 鈥渞evealing鈥 outfit.

Allred held a news conference in late March, entitled 鈥淎 woman passenger鈥檚 breast vs. Delta Air Lines,鈥 sitting alongside Archbold against a backdrop of bras hanging from a clothing rack. Allred also wrote a letter to Delta urging the Atlanta-based carrier to change its policy and requesting a meeting with its president.

鈥淒elta鈥檚 current policy, which is highly subjective, has been applied in a discriminatory manner and resulted in disparate treatment and harassment of passengers like Ms. Archbold,鈥 Allred wrote.

Comfort is king

Before the Airline Deregulation Act in 1978, passengers in the United States paid top dollar for airline tickets 鈥 and dressed the part, too, donning three-piece suits, dresses and high heels.

Nowadays, comfort is king, and along with shifting cultural norms and trends such as athleisure, most modern-day economy cabins are populated with passengers wearing jeans, T-shirts, hoodies, flip-flops and sometimes even pajamas.

When it comes to being singled out on a flight for their fashion choices, the typical first move for passengers involved: airing their complaints on social media. (Nathan Dennette/The Canadian Press)

However, even taking into account the new norm of dressing down, the fashion friction that can occur between passengers and airline staff can be partially attributed to the general vagueness of airline policies.

When a passenger buys an airline ticket, they also agree to adhere to the contract of carriage. That鈥檚 a legal document that outlines the airline鈥檚 policies. But some airlines don鈥檛 have an official dress code per se; instead, buried deep in that contract of carriage, is a line or two about what鈥檚 prohibited. For many airlines, bare feet is a definite no-go.

Airlines also may establish other parameters around appearance. Delta, for example, says when a passenger鈥檚 鈥渃onduct, attire, hygiene or odor creates an unreasonable risk of offense or annoyance to other passengers,鈥 they can be removed from the aircraft.

American Airlines simply states its passengers must 鈥渄ress appropriately; bare feet or offensive clothing aren鈥檛 allowed.鈥 Spirit Airlines also bans barefoot passengers, as well as clothing that is 鈥渓ewd, obscene, or offensive in nature.鈥

Out of the U.S. carriers鈥 policies that CNN Travel reviewed, Hawaiian Airlines鈥 is the most detailed. Under Rule 13, Refusal to Transport, Hawaiian clearly states what鈥檚 not allowed on board: bikini bottoms, Speedos and bare feet, along with clothing that鈥檚 鈥渓ewd, obscene, or patently offensive to others.鈥 It also specifies clothing must 鈥渃over the upper part of the torso鈥 鈥 but clarifies that tank tops, tube tops, and halter tops are allowed (as are shorts, but with no specifications about length).

Meanwhile, passengers flying on guest or buddy passes provided by airline employees 鈥 non-rev passengers, in aviation lingo 鈥 might be under increased scrutiny for their attire, which can also come as a surprise. Case in point: In 2017, a United Airlines employee banned two teenage girls from a flight because they were wearing leggings, a decision the airline defended on social media, resulting in a for the Chicago-based carrier.

鈥楪ender-focused fashion issue鈥

The stickiest aspect of most policies is the inherent ambiguity around what terms such as 鈥渁ppropriately,鈥 鈥渓ewd鈥 and 鈥渙ffensive鈥 mean, giving airline staffers plenty of leeway in determining what will fly.

Nick Leighton, a Manhattan-based etiquette expert and co-founder of the podcast 鈥淲ere You Raised by Wolves?鈥, also notes that what鈥檚 considered acceptable or appropriate varies greatly among geographic areas the airline serves.

鈥淎irlines get to decide [their policies], but what cultural standard is it?鈥 Leighton tells CNN Travel. 鈥淚s it going to be the Delta headquarters in Atlanta, which is going to be different from, you know, Provence or Los Angeles?鈥

Those discrepancies 鈥 not to mention, the vast cultural differences and backgrounds across airline employees and passengers 鈥 can result in some passengers being more targeted than others.

Women, for example, make up the majority of the most publicized incidents. Mary Jo Manzanares, a Seattle-based travel writer who worked as a flight attendant for a U.S. carrier for 33 years, acknowledges there鈥檚 鈥渁 fair amount of body shaming鈥 involved in many incidents she sees in the media.

鈥淚t鈥檚 got to do with skimpy attire, [and] that鈥檚 generally focused on women, although, to be fair, a man boarding in his Speedo is probably going to elicit the same response,鈥 she says. 鈥淏ut there鈥檚 no doubt about it 鈥 it鈥檚 a gender-focused fashion issue. I wish that it wasn鈥檛.鈥

In her letter to Delta鈥檚 president, Allred also emphasized that imbalance, citing the airline鈥檚 contract of carriage that states the carrier 鈥溾榤ay not refuse to provide transportation based upon 鈥 sex.鈥 By denying Ms. Archbold the right to travel in a T-shirt that would be perfectly appropriate for a man, Delta discriminated on the basis of sex.鈥

Manzanares says she was lucky enough to only face a 鈥渟mall handful鈥 of attire-related incidents during her decades as a flight attendant. But she also points out that many passengers are unaware of the risk of in-flight trouble that can flare up from, say, a seemingly innocuous slogan on a T-shirt. That鈥檚 why on-the-ground staff and flight attendants aim to address any potential issues well before takeoff, she says.

鈥淵ou鈥檝e got to make your priority resolving things on the ground, making sure that there is no aggression,鈥 Manzanares explains. 鈥淲hen you go to 30,000 feet, you may [have] passenger conversation or banter or inappropriate comments between passengers, add in a little alcohol, and you may be making an unscheduled landing. And no one wants that.鈥

No one wants to be the fashion police

In researching this piece, CNN Travel reached out to the media departments of nearly a dozen major U.S. and international carriers, including those involved in highly publicized incidents around passengers鈥 attire, for comment about their dress policies and how they respond to complaints.

In this file photo, travellers line up at the Ottawa International Airport, as airlines cancel or delay flights during a major storm in Ottawa, on Friday, Dec. 23, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Only two responded: a spokesperson for KLM and Air France, who declined to comment, and a Southwest spokesperson who told CNN Travel via email the carrier doesn鈥檛 have an official dress code. Instead, Southwest 鈥渆mployees are responsible for using their judgment to ensure comfort and safety of all while following our Contract of Carriage,鈥 he wrote.

When it comes to personal appearance and hygiene, the contract only states that transport may be refused to barefoot passengers and persons with 鈥渁n offensive odor.鈥

Not surprisingly, the task of monitoring passengers鈥 attire 鈥 and asking them to cover up if necessary 鈥 isn鈥檛 exactly a pleasant one for flight attendants either. 鈥淭he last thing we want to do is get turned into being the fashion police,鈥 Manzanares says.

But as recent headlines suggest, passengers who push boundaries with what they wear (or don鈥檛 wear) risk putting not only themselves in an uncomfortable situation 鈥 they could also be inconveniencing hundreds of fellow passengers by causing flight delays.

Addressing potential disruptions before a flight requires precious time and collaboration among airline staff, including the captain (also known as the pilot in command), who ultimately has final say on whether a passenger will be denied boarding, according to aviation site Simple Flying.

Passengers who feel they were unfairly treated can always file a complaint with the airline or the Department of Transportation. But there are no guarantees over compensation or refunds, which are generally made on a case-by-case basis.

In other words, passengers who are denied boarding because of their attire might find themselves footing the bill for their unused ticket (and, potentially, rebooking too). In an incident posted on X on April 1, an American Airlines passenger claims they were denied boarding after paying US$2,000 for a first-class ticket because they were wearing an outfit that 鈥渙ffended鈥 someone.

It鈥檚 unclear what the outcome was; neither the carrier nor the passenger involved responded to requests for comment. However, passengers also should keep in mind that any out-of-pocket expenses resulting from being denied boarding because of their attire are not likely to be covered by travel insurance.

鈥淏ased on my 20+ experience in travel insurance 鈥 I have never seen a travel insurance provider cover such incidents,鈥 Jeff Rolander, vice president of claims at Faye Travel Insurance, told CNN Travel via email.

鈥楾eachable moment鈥

Leighton, the etiquette expert, notes that other passengers can play a role in avoiding a potentially problematic wardrobe situation by following a simple etiquette rule that also applies in other crowded spaces such as elevators or subways: 鈥淢aintaining yourself in your little bubble and not interfering into the bubble of anybody else.鈥

鈥淭hat鈥檚 why, for example, it鈥檚 OK to eat your meal when you鈥檙e served,鈥 he explains. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 have to wait for your row to be served 鈥 it鈥檚 not a dinner party. We鈥檙e not together, we are going to pretend we are alone. And so a lot of etiquette is just like, 鈥楶retend that this thing isn鈥檛 happening.鈥 鈥

When something is particularly challenging to ignore 鈥 perhaps an obscene phrase on a T-shirt when you鈥檙e flying with young children 鈥 Leighton advises parents or caregivers to turn it into a 鈥渢eachable moment鈥 by explaining that 鈥渢his is not an appropriate way to dress on an airplane, and it鈥檚 happening, but just so you know, in our family, that鈥檚 not what we would do.鈥

According to Kristy Alpert, a writer originally from the United States who has visited all seven continents, a mindset shift of sorts can be helpful for some passengers while making in-flight wardrobe selections 鈥 especially those accustomed to certain cultural norms in some Western countries.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not me relinquishing my freedom to dress how I want to dress 鈥 it鈥檚 me showing others a kindness,鈥 explains Alpert, whose father is a retired Delta pilot. 鈥淪o by me not wearing super-short shorts or wearing a logo that I know is going to offend someone, it鈥檚 not me relinquishing my rights to choose what I wear. It鈥檚 me being a world traveler, being a global citizen.鈥

Leighton, meanwhile, says much of the trouble could be avoided if passengers choose their in-flight outfits with personal safety in mind 鈥 and, more specifically, how certain clothing and footwear would fare in an emergency situation.

鈥淚 want to make sure that if I have to leave this plane in 90 seconds, I鈥檓 dressed appropriately,鈥 he explains.

鈥淚 always wear natural fibers, long pants and sleeves, and closed-toe shoes when flying because I personally wouldn鈥檛 want to be trying to evacuate an aircraft or run away on a tarmac in a tight mini skirt or open-toed sandals. So maybe the focus should be: You need to dress safe.鈥

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