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What Not to Wear: Debate Over Airline Dress Code Continues

Airlines Within Rights to Refuse Flight for Attire But Some Argue for More Explicit Rules

With some airlines dinging passengers over their attire, the debate over a "right" to wear something and airline dress codes have continued. (Photo: AP/Elaine Thompson)

DALLAS (TheBlaze/AP) — Airlines give many reasons for refusing to let you board, but none stir as much debate as this: How you’re dressed.

A woman flying from Las Vegas on Southwest this spring says she was confronted by an airline employee for showing too much cleavage. In another recent case, an American Airlines pilot lectured a passenger because her T-shirt bore a four-letter expletive. She was allowed to keep flying after draping a shawl over the shirt.

Both women told their stories to sympathetic bloggers, and the debate over what you can wear in the air went viral.

It‘s not always clear what’s appropriate. Airlines don’t publish dress codes. TheBlaze has reported that the advocacy group FlyersRights calling for one such dress code last fall.  There are no rules that spell out the highest hemline or the lowest neckline allowed. That can leave passengers guessing how far to push fashion boundaries. Every once in a while the airline says: Not that far.

“It’s like any service business. If you run a family restaurant and somebody is swearing, you kindly ask them to leave,” says Kenneth Quinn, an aviation lawyer and former chief counsel at the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.

The American Airlines passenger, who declined to be interviewed by The Associated Press, works for an abortion provider. Supporters suggested that she was singled out because her T-shirt had a pro-choice slogan.

A spokesman for American says the passenger was asked to cover up “because of the F-word on the T-shirt.” He says that the airline isn’t taking sides in the abortion debate.

Last week, Arijit Guha, a graduate student at Arizona State University, was barred from a Delta flight in Buffalo, N.Y., because of a T-shirt that mocked federal security agents and included the words, “Terrists gonna kill us all.” He says the misspelled shirt was satirical and he wore it to protest what he considers racial profiling.

“I thought it was a very American idea to speak up and dissent when you think people’s rights are being violated,” Guha says. The pilot thought it scared other passengers.

American and Delta are within their rights to make the passengers change shirts even if messages are political, says Joe Larsen, a First Amendment lawyer from Houston who has defended many media companies.

The First Amendment prohibits government from limiting a person’s free-speech rights, but it doesn’t apply to rules set by private companies, Larsen says. He notes that government security screeners didn’t challenge Guha; private Delta employees did.

In short, since airlines and their planes are private property and not a public space like the courthouse steps, crews can tell you what to wear.

In the early years of jet travel, passengers dressed up and confrontations over clothing were unimaginable. They’re still rare – there aren’t any precise numbers – but when showdowns happen, they gain more attention as aggrieved passengers complain on the Internet about airline clothing cops. It’s unwelcome publicity for airlines, which already rate near the bottom of all industries when it comes to customer satisfaction.

Critics complain that airlines enforce clothing standards inconsistently. The lack of clear rules leaves decisions to the judgment of individual airline employees.

Last year, a passenger was pulled off a US Airways jet and arrested at San Francisco International Airport after airline employees say he refused to pull up his low-hanging pants. The local prosecutor declined to file charges against Deshon Marman, a University of New Mexico football player.

Marman’s lawyer complained that the same airline repeatedly allowed a middle-age man to travel wearing women’s underwear and not much else.

“You can’t let someone repugnant like that (the cross-dresser) on the plane and single out this kid because he’s black, wearing dreadlocks, and had two or three inches of his underwear showing,” says the lawyer, Joseph D. O’Sullivan. “They can’t arrest him for what someone perceives to be inappropriate attire.”

US Airways spokesman John McDonald says no passengers complained about the cross-dresser until his photo in women’s underwear circulated on the Internet after the Marman incident. He says the airline doesn‘t have a dress code but that employees may talk to a passenger if other people might be offended by the way he’s dressed.

“It’s not an issue of a dress code, it’s one of disruption,” like watching pornography within sight of other passengers, McDonald says.

An informal survey of passengers at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport found much support for limits on clothing.

“Curse words on shirts always bother me,” says John Gordon, who just graduated from film school in Florida and was dressed in khaki shorts and a T-shirt. “It’s an unspoken rule that when you go out in public, you should be respectful.”

But Leigh Ann Epperson, a corporate lawyer who had just flown in from Tokyo, says she wouldn‘t be bothered if another passenger’s shirt bore the F-word.

“If people are paying the price for their tickets, they should be able to wear what they want,” says Epperson, who wore a black sweater over a low-cut blouse, black slacks and wedge-type heels.

Airlines say they refund the passenger’s fare if they deny boarding for inappropriate attire.

Clashes over clothing and other flash points seem to be increasing, says Alexander Anolik, a travel-law attorney in Tiburon, Calif. He blames an unhappy mix of airline employees who feel underpaid and unloved, and passengers who are stressed out and angry over extra fees on everything from checking a bag to scoring an aisle seat.

Anolik says that passengers should obey requests from airline employees. If passengers don’t, they could be accused of interfering with a flight crew – a federal crime. He says passengers should wait until they’re off the plane to file complaints with the airline, the U.S. Department of Transportation or in small-claims court.

“They have this omnipotent power,” Anolik says of flight crews. “You shouldn‘t argue your case while you’re on the airplane. You’re in a no-win scenario – you will be arrested.”


Comments (51)

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  • CHHALL3
    Posted on August 26, 2012 at 4:25pm

    I want to know if they are private companies & the planes are private property, why is the government screening us? Just comparing it to private sports stadiums being funded by the city, most citizens don’t like paying tax for that, I am positive, EVERYONE that flies are not too happy paying taxes for TSA or Homeland Security at the airports.

    Report Post »  
    • Jaycen
      Posted on August 26, 2012 at 7:48pm

      I was just coming down here to say something similar!

      The airlines are no longer private. They’re supported by our tax dollars, fully regulated by the Federal Government, and it’s a federal crime to interfere with their workers.

      HELLO!?!?

      Thus, you now have every right to wear whatever you like on an airplane. You can wear T-shirts with the “F” word. The smelly hippies can OCCUPY airplanes. Anything now goes.

      Congratulations, America, you got EXACTLY what you asked for.

      Report Post » Jaycen  
    • ERP
      Posted on August 26, 2012 at 10:14pm

      I don’t agree with Airline Personnel lecturing paying customers about their attire.

      On the other hand, if restaurants have a right to enforce a particular dress code then so should the Airlines.

      Report Post » ERP  
    • WeDontNeedNoSteenkinBadges12
      Posted on August 26, 2012 at 11:11pm

      CHHALL3 – “I want to know if they are private companies & the planes are private property, why is the government screening us?”

      READ THIS AGAIN PEOPLE !!

      Report Post » WeDontNeedNoSteenkinBadges12  
    • Joey Odendahl
      Posted on August 27, 2012 at 11:01pm

      Well, to be fair, even tax payer funded public schools have dress codes. So the idea that tax dollars = “freedom to wear whatever you want” is debatable.

      Report Post » Joey Odendahl  
  • cogit8able
    Posted on August 26, 2012 at 3:57pm

    I don’t know, perhaps I am being judgmental but I should think not wearing a t-shirt with the f-word and your pants hanging off your butt so your underwear is showing in public is really kind of a no-brainer.

    Report Post »  
  • toto
    Posted on August 26, 2012 at 3:39pm

    Here’s the deal. An airline is a private company owned by stock holders. If a company wants to set any kind of standard they want to, they should be able to. If you don’t like it, fly another carrier. Personally, if an airlines came out with very high standards and pre vetted each passenger so as to have a safe, clean, trip with no eyesores or disruptions, I would fly with them every time. If jerks that want to show their very ordinary body parts that most would rather not see or express views in distasteful ways were left on the tarmac, it would be just fine with me.

    Report Post »  
  • FSM_47
    Posted on August 26, 2012 at 1:19pm

    Leigh Ann Epperson sounds like another low class liberal with limited dignity.

    Report Post » FSM_47  
  • Walkabout
    Posted on August 26, 2012 at 12:32pm

    “There are no rules that spell out the highest hemline or the lowest neckline allowed”
    -How often do they clean the fabric of airliner seats? -
    -How many people sit in them?
    -What is the bacteria count on a seat?

    Do you really want your skin to contact a seat anymore than you have to?

    Is showing off a high hemline that important?

    Report Post »  
  • nosharia
    Posted on August 26, 2012 at 12:18pm

    It’s about customer service. The airlines have a duty to maintain a degree of family friendly atmosphere, and you have a right to a road trip.

    Report Post »  
    • Walkabout
      Posted on August 26, 2012 at 12:37pm

      No shoes, no shirt, no service.

      The same for airlines as it is for a convenience store. At least if buxom babe wants to show here assets (not her brains but a conglomeration of fat cells) in a store you can always go to a different isle or leave. It is a little harder on an airplane.

      Report Post »  
    • Dougral Supports Israel
      Posted on August 26, 2012 at 12:38pm

      I agree, all of the situations that occur over extreme dress could be avoided by the passenger using a little common sense. An airline ticket only entitles a passenger to one seat, it doesn’t give him the right to offend a planeload of other people.

      Report Post »  
    • Wool-Free Vision
      Posted on August 26, 2012 at 12:39pm

      Apparently, some people won’t be happy until they add a “costumer service” to their customer service division.

      Report Post » Wool-Free Vision  
  • JUSTANOTHEROPINION
    Posted on August 26, 2012 at 12:00pm

    Half of the so called fashions that people wear now 50 years ago would have been indecent exposure. What ever happened to our moral values? I don’t appreciate having to see peoples underwear when I am out in public. We need our laws of morallity back.

    Report Post »  
  • mcellu
    Posted on August 26, 2012 at 11:44am

    The poll is flawed. People should use commons sense, but don’t (or else they just don’t have any?!) or we wouldn’t be having this discussion. So how can I choose the second answer? Issuing a dress code seems a little extreme as people would just push those boundaries. Seems our schools have given up on enforcing dress codes there. How about a disclaimer stating “Please dress appropriately. Anything the crew deems inappropriate can result in refusal to allow you to board the plane.” Fair warning. If I can see you underwear (bras or boxers) or if you have something nasty written on your shirt, assume you can not board.

    Report Post »  
  • piper60
    Posted on August 26, 2012 at 11:41am

    Trying to travel without knowing a written dress code, is a bit like trying to do an Algebra question without knowing all the variables. Risky at best.

    Report Post » piper60  
    • Wool-Free Vision
      Posted on August 26, 2012 at 12:24pm

      I am sick of everyone pandering to the lowest common denominator. Why should all of us suffer some bureaucrat’s arbitrary dress code simply because a few morons refuse to abide by the standards of common sense and decency? Do not kowtow to fools unless you want to be counted among their number.

      This is one of the biggest problems affecting every aspect of modern society: Zero-tolerance policies etched in stone, where a little common sense would serve society’s needs more ably without crushing it under a mountain of arbitrary rules.

      Report Post » Wool-Free Vision  
  • Tigress1
    Posted on August 26, 2012 at 11:33am

    Just wear a burqa. Security will be a breeze, and nobody will have the guts to say you are dressed inappropriately.

    Report Post » Tigress1  
  • jungle J
    Posted on August 26, 2012 at 11:27am

    only savages need to be told how to dress and how decorum works….dress like a human in public…. go home and roll in dog poop if you want…vulgar mutts.

    Report Post »  
  • Wool-Free Vision
    Posted on August 26, 2012 at 11:11am

    Your poll is screwy. You ask if airlines should issue a dress code, but the two choices you give are not adequate. The airlines should NOT issue a dress code, but that doesn‘t mean that the passengers shouldn’t be limited in dress. If you had made the “no” answer “No, passengers should use common sense,” then I would participate in the poll.

    The airline shouldn’t have to issue anything, because passengers should have common sense enough to know what is appropriate in a family setting. If a passenger fails to be considerate enough to dress accordingly, they should be removed until they can change clothes. Why does there have to be something in writing?

    These same jerks who wear four-letter words on their shirts in public places where they might encounter innocent children should not be catered to, they should be called out for their indecency and penalized accordingly. There are already laws on the books for people like this, why must the airlines be bothered to issue a formal dress code?

    The guy who was wearing the “terrorists will kill us all” t-shirt wasn’t breaking any decency laws, but he was practicing poor common sense if he thought wearing it on an airplane was a good idea. I agree with his point, but he could have made it without that particular message.

    Report Post » Wool-Free Vision  
    • RandyB1986
      Posted on August 27, 2012 at 12:36am

      I agree. These examples used are exactly the point. If you have the F word plastered across your chest, you are a moron! Plain and simple. If you wear a shirt that says in some relatively respectful way that you support a Pro-Choice world… As much as I disagree, you have that right. You also invite my opinion.

      As for the young college student’s anti-profiling anti-TSA, i agree with the message, but not with how it was carried out. ‘

      In the end, USE COMMON SENSE. Do not make me change the way I dress to satisfy the many. If we start down this regulatory path, how long before the Sharia Law says they we are all too offensive to fly without full covering?

      Report Post »  
  • Grace1798
    Posted on August 26, 2012 at 10:46am

    Growing up in the 50s, we all dressed up – (Sunday dress) just to eat at a restaurant any time of the day and any day of the week, or to go to the movies or to even go shopping, even in the 60s and 70s and even 80s we were properly dressed to like dress pants and a nice blouse or sweater just to go grocery shopping. But today a majority of people dress like slobs and look like they just climbed out of bed, no shower, they stink (you can smell them an aisle away) and to be honest, it’s disgusting. I even see persons MY AGE who should know better look like they hadn ‘t bathed in months. But then again, I cannot speak for other towns, it’s mostly in my small town but man……it is really disgusting. Last time I went to Wal Mart….I was so grossed out……I VOWED NEVER to return and to shop somewhere where it is more expensive just to AVOID them. EGOManiacs like Obama is pure evil but when someone loses PRIDE in oneself as being responsible for your own body and your own life…that’s another thing. Where is that kind of pride anymore?

    Report Post » Grace1798  
  • HOOT_OWL
    Posted on August 26, 2012 at 10:43am

    It’s a shame our country is so divided, they did a great job in Playing us all against
    each other. They used a crisis to shout a battle-cry then restricted our rights … .
    then they infringe upon our rights. Now for our safety ,their using Gestapo tactics..
    I would like to think this election will put a stop to this madness .

    Report Post » HOOT_OWL  
  • Thinman
    Posted on August 26, 2012 at 10:32am

    Flying used to be fun, between the TSA and the airlines canceling flights for thunderstorms, drunk pilots, ect. flying sucks. These days I am much more relaxed when I am in charge of my destiny driving on our (according to the President) crumbling infrastructure. The last time I flew, the TSA screener, after the body scan asked me to tip my head down to see, I presume, if I had a weapon up there?? I asked her if I were balding, got no response.

    Report Post »  
  • Ashton Xander
    Posted on August 26, 2012 at 10:31am

    First of all, there should be a dress code policy in every airport for the main reason as a respect for other cultures you’ll get into. Secondly, passengers should be mindful of their dresses or wear appropriate ones. It might be offensive to others. It is somewhat like thinking our businesses. Raz Silberman believes “But before you rush to sign a deal, consider this: you are selling more than a business. You may also be selling your lifestyle, your identity, your sense of purpose.” Should you want to read more of this, here is the link http://rsilberman.com/?p=171

    Report Post »  
  • ThePostman
    Posted on August 26, 2012 at 10:30am

    Anyone else notice that it is almost ALWAYS women who cannot dress inappropriately? I’ve seen mothers and daughters in church, IN CHURCH, wearing miniskirts, sitting on the front row, flashing their panties at the pastor. (If they even had panties on)

    Women are pretty disgusting today. Dressing like sluts, aborting babies, collecting welfare, divorcing, and then living their remaining lives out with their cats and their 200 pound bodies. Nice job, feminazis. You’ve got your own cigarette now, baby!

    Report Post »  
    • FSM_47
      Posted on August 26, 2012 at 1:23pm

      Saw a fat woman in her 50s today who was in the process of getting a full arm tattoo. Have people gone completely stupid? OK, rhetorical question–look how many vote for Obama .

      Report Post » FSM_47  
  • poorrichard09
    Posted on August 26, 2012 at 10:20am

    Common sense and decency have died.

    Report Post »  
  • woodyee
    Posted on August 26, 2012 at 9:58am

    In all seriousness, common courtesy begins in the home. Basic citizenship, like how to behave in public including what side of the sidewalk one should walk on, was taught when I was in elementary school. Regardless of ones income, you were required to wear (as boys) black or navy blue pants, white shirt and navy blue or black tie to school on Wednesdays, and the girls dressed appropriately at all times. We had “auditorium’ – civics classes on Wednesday. We sang patriotic songs on the 4th of July.

    We wouldn’t need airlines to make rules if we as a society refused to kow to educated idiots, like lawyer Leigh Ann Epperson, and voiced our disdain for cross-dressers and foul-worded t-shirts. If wearing a foul-worded t-shirt on an airline is okay, so is shouting the foul word. The only reason that crap is tolerated is because good folks like YOU choose to remain SILENT.

    Fight on!

    Report Post » woodyee  
    • hillbillyinny
      Posted on August 26, 2012 at 10:13am

      Not related to article, but something we were taught as little children: When walking on streets with no sidewalk, walk AGAINST TRAFFIC (so that you can see traffice coming and the driver can possibly see at least your eyes flashing in the lights at night). When riding a bicycle, travel WITH TRAFFICE (you are a wheeled vehicle)! And above all WEAR LIGHT CLOTHING TO BE SEEN IN THE DARK!

      I live in a very rural area. The increase in accidents with pedestrians can be directly tied to “city people” moving to the country with the current “dark clothes” fetish and not knowing the “rules of the road for pedestrians” which are not even taught at home any more let alone in our schools! Kids can’t even walk a half-mile to school anymore, they’re bused at tax payers expense, so they’re not instructed on simple LIFE-SAVING courtesy.

      How would they even “know” common sense on dress in public–it’s not life saving, yet!

      Report Post »  
    • woodyee
      Posted on August 26, 2012 at 10:37am

      They won’t walk 1/2 mile to school?!? Jiminy Crickets!!! My wife and I walk 2.5 miles to breakfast and 2.5 miles back – intentionally!

      Then again, you’ve got a bunch of city folk moving in to your area – teach your children well.

      Report Post » woodyee  
  • BryanB
    Posted on August 26, 2012 at 9:53am

    Just don’t Fly anywhere, that will end the problem, and you will not have to worry about it……….

    Report Post » BryanB  
  • TeresaJ
    Posted on August 26, 2012 at 9:53am

    Just a couple of days ago my husband remarked on a couple of girls who wore midrifts and booty shorts on his plane. The girls were complaining that they were freezing.

    Report Post »  
    • Sandra
      Posted on August 26, 2012 at 4:51pm

      The chicks won’t be happy about the cool factor on a plane until around age 50.

      Report Post » Sandra  
  • 502_eagle
    Posted on August 26, 2012 at 9:47am

    What now it is a RIGHT to fly? We demand to be able to fly on your people wearing what ever the heck we want?

    America is in trouble not be ashington D.C. but because to many people have no common sense and feel entitled to anything and everything.

    Report Post » 502_eagle  
    • pavnvet
      Posted on August 26, 2012 at 10:00am

      How true. I worked for an airline in the late 60′s, early 70′s. Passengers for the most part were very courteous and well dressed. Today, flying is like being on an inner-city bus. It is disgraceful that so many people have such little regard for their own appearance. Many have no manners at all.

      In my later career, I weekly flew on business racking up a couple of million miles. Fortunately, I flew mostly in first class, but even there you would sometimes see people that looked like they just came off a three day bender. It is all about the lack of respect and ignorance of many in our society that have made it more comfortable to drive then fly.

      Report Post » pavnvet  
  • woodyee
    Posted on August 26, 2012 at 9:39am

    I’d wear an Odumbo mask on board if asked, just as long as the Asian airlines continue to allow bikini clad beauties to dance in the aisle…

    HOTchaaaaa!

    Report Post » woodyee  
  • Master.Debater
    Posted on August 26, 2012 at 9:35am

    So the airlines have to hire teams of lawyers to define each and every possible activity that could conceivably result in refusal of service, then post it on our tickets so they are 5 pages of fine print. How about people just have a little bit of respect and consideration for those around them?

    Report Post » Master.Debater  
  • BurntHills
    Posted on August 26, 2012 at 9:31am

    if you were paying us gas to ride in our vehicle somewhere, we would give you your gas cash back and leave you at the curb if we didn’t want to take you with us if you showed up barely dressed or with an offensive shirt on. period.

    Report Post » BurntHills  
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