Two women have claimed they were removed from a flight due to wearing what was deemed “inappropriate” attire. While comfort is key for many travelers, these two Americans allege that their clothing choices sparked a confrontation with airline staff, ultimately resulting in their removal.
Teresa Araujo, 34, and her friend Tara Kehidi were flying from Los Angeles to New Orleans on a Spirit Airlines flight to celebrate a friend’s birthday. Both women were dressed in jeans, crop tops, and jumpers for the nearly four-hour journey. According to them, a male flight attendant asked them to cover up, leaving them shocked.
The situation reportedly worsened when they removed their sweaters due to the warm temperature on the plane. This led to Teresa and Tara being escorted off the flight. Teresa, a travel influencer, documented the event on social media until asked to stop filming.
She later posted: “My friend and I had a terrible experience on flight 387 from LAX to New Orleans with @spiritairlines. We were harassed by a male flight attendant who told us to ‘cover up’ because we were wearing crop tops.”
Teresa added that other passengers tried to defend them, but a supervisor stepped in, warning the women that they would need to leave the plane or face police involvement.
The two women said they received no refund and had to pay additional costs for a new flight to New Orleans with another airline.
A Spirit Airlines spokesperson confirmed the incident is under investigation. They pointed to the airline’s ‘Contract of Carriage,’ which outlines passenger attire expectations, stating passengers may be asked to leave if their clothing is “inadequate, lewd, obscene, or offensive.”
The spokesperson said, “Our Contract of Carriage, which all guests agree to when making a reservation with us, includes specific clothing standards. We are investigating the matter and are in contact with the guests regarding their experience.”
The women have since told MailOnline that the dress code does not specifically ban crop tops, insisting their clothing was neither lewd nor offensive.