Flight Attendant Dislikes Exposure... 'Belly Shirt Passenger' Ejected from Airplane

Disturbance on US LCC Passenger Plane
Male Crew Member Chases Away Women
"Dress Code Policy Was Not Informed"

Controversy has arisen after female passengers on a U.S. low-cost carrier (LCC) were kicked off a plane just before departure for wearing tops that exposed their midriffs. On the 9th (local time), U.S. media outlet KABC reported the incident that occurred on the 4th at Los Angeles (LA) International Airport in California on a Spirit Airlines flight bound for New Orleans, Louisiana.

Women at the time wearing cardigans over crop tops. [Image source=Captured from Teresa Araujo's Instagram]

At the time, two women from California boarded the plane and took their seats, but a male flight attendant pointed out their attire before takeoff. The women were wearing crop tops with thin cardigans over them when boarding, but just before takeoff, they had removed the cardigans and were wearing only the crop tops. The male flight attendant approached them and demanded, "Cover up (the exposed body). Wear something." The women asked to see Spirit Airlines' dress code policy, but the flight attendant did not comply with this request.

One of them, Teresa Araujo, expressed her anger on her social media, calling the service "terrible." Araujo said, "The flight attendant kept treating us badly and did not explain why they wanted to kick us out," adding, "Other passengers stepped in to defend us, but eventually a senior flight attendant came and said, 'If you don't get off voluntarily, we will call the police.'"

They eventually left the plane. They requested to be rebooked on another flight, but this was also denied. Refunds were refused, forcing them to pay $1,000 (about 1.35 million won) to purchase new tickets from another airline. Araujo claimed, "Everyone working at the airport agreed that this was an act of prejudice, discrimination, and misogyny, and that legal action should be taken."

However, it was reported that the two women were not the only passengers removed at that time. Another female passenger witnessing the situation defended the women, saying, "If crop tops are inappropriate, then my outfit is inappropriate too. I am wearing a crop top under my cardigan." This passenger was reportedly traveling with a baby but was also forced off the plane without a refund.

Araujo and her friend explained to KABC that "the air conditioning system in the waiting lounge before boarding was not working properly, so we took off our cardigans to stay cool." The mother who defended them also said, "The plane was very hot, and other passengers were also taking off their cardigans, so I decided to support those women." Spirit Airlines responded to KABC stating, "All customers must comply with certain dress code standards included in the transportation contract when booking our services," and said they are investigating the incident.