Spirit Airlines customers could be removed from flights for dressing “inadequately” or having offensive tattoos, the airline announced this week in an update to its code of conduct.
The low-cost U.S. carrier explicitly banned see-through clothing, bare feet and exposed private parts, as well as clothing or body art that is “lewd, obscene, or offensive in nature.” The rules are included in an agreement called a Contract of Carriage that all customers must abide by in order to fly.
Would-be travelers can also be removed from a Spirit flight for acting disorderly or violent, appearing to be intoxicated or refusing to use a seat belt. The Contract of Carriage was updated Jan. 22.
Last October, a Spirit customer took to social media to complain that she and three others, including a toddler, were removed from their flight because two women in the group were wearing crop tops.
The customer, who was flying out of Los Angeles International Airport, said on Instagram that she and her friend were harassed by a male flight attendant and told to cover up, the Independent reported. The post is no longer publicly available.
In a similar incident, a Delta Airlines customer said she was targeted and removed from her flight last March for not wearing a bra. Delta’s Contract of Carriage prohibits bare feet and says a customer can be refused service if “the passenger’s conduct, attire, hygiene or odor creates an unreasonable risk of offense or annoyance to other passengers.”
Delta also issued a directive last year that flight attendants adhere to a strict dress code, including wearing undergarments.
In its contract with customers, Spirit said they can also refuse service to any passenger with a contagious disease or “an offensive body odor unless caused by a qualified disability.”
If a customer is denied service for violating the rules outlined, they will not receive a refund, the contract said.
