PRUDES IN AIR FARCE
Kids kept off flight for wearing leggings
THIS IS A BAD look for United.
United Airlines barred two girls from a domestic flight Sunday for wearing leggings — sparking a social media uproar that even drew in several celebrities.
The airline only escalated tensions when it took to Twitter to defend its decision.
Shannon Watts, founder of the gun control group Moms Demand Action, tweeted about the fashion flap on a flight from Denver to Minneapolis.
She said some girls in leggings were forced to change or put on dresses before boarding — while two were not allowed on the flight at all.
“Since when does @United police women’s clothing?” Watts wrote in a series of tweets.
“I guess @United not letting women wear athletic wear? . . . Apparently @United is policing the clothing of women and girls,” Watts wrote.
Watts said the father of one of the girls, however, was allowed to board in shorts.
Speaking to the Daily News after landing in Mexico on a separate flight, Watts said the leggings incident sent passengers at the Denver gate into “a panic” as it held up the flight.
“These were not private conversations. They were happening in front of everyone. (Passengers) looked frantic as the flight was boarding,” she said.
She said the “young teen” girls who were turned away were wearing “little girl leggings,” not “supertight leggings.” “I’d like (United) to understand that leggings are part of a woman’s attire in modern day America. It is not inappropriate or sexual,” she said. United tweeted back to Watts, writing, “We do have the right to refuse transport for passengers who are barefoot or not properly clothed.” It also said the girls who were turned away were “pass travelers” — relatives of United employees, who fly for free — and were held to a different standard “as they are representing UA when they fly.” United reiterated in a statement that the dress code only applies to passengers with “company benefit travel.”
Reps for United did not return a Daily News email asking if the company has considered changes to the policy.
The airline’s pass travel policy bans “form-fitting” spandex pants and tops for those customers, as well as attire such as flipflops, miniskirts and seethrough clothing. But the rules do not uniformly outlaw leggings, and there is no such policy stated for regular fliers.
Hundreds of Twitter users fired off furious messages at United, accusing it of enforcing a sexist and pointless rule.
Actress Patricia Arquette called the incident “terrible,” while model Chrissy Teigen wrote, “I have flown United before with literally no pants on. Just a top as a dress. Next time I will wear only jeans and a scarf.”