Since when did Southwest Airlines become the fashion police? CNN is reporting that a second woman has come forward to say that Southwest Airlines told her to cover up because her dress was too revealing.
This coming from the “LUV” airline that used to force its flight attendants to wear hot pants and boots that Britney Spears would wear to a funeral.
What the hell, Southwest? From CNN:
Setara Qassim said a flight attendant confronted her during the trip from Tucson, Arizona, to Burbank, California, and asked whether she had a sweater to go over her green halter-style dress.
Qassim, 21, told KNBC-TV in Los Angeles she was forced to wrap a blanket around herself for the rest of the flight. She complained that if Southwest wants passengers to dress a certain way, it should publish a dress code.
Southwest, every time you think you need to tell a woman to cover up, look at some old photos of your flight attendants instead.
Second woman says Southwest made her cover up [CNN] (Thanks, Anne!)
(Photo:NPR)
More From Consumerist
-
Southwest Doesn’t Approve Of Your Cleavage-Baring Outfit, Young Lady
-
Southwest Bills Customers Multiple Times In Failed Facebook Promotion
-
Southwest Passenger Sues For $800,000 Over Spilled Tea
-
Study: Southwest Is Often Only The Least-Expensive Option If You’re Checking Bags
-
Man Claims Southwest Humiliated Him By Pulling Him Off Flight Because He’s Overweight
two things:
She was flying from VEGAS!!! WTF. You think she was the only one in the past five years dressed like that?
Second, after all the attention from before you’d think Southwest must have an unwritten dress policy somewhere in their training.
Upon seeing the photo, I would assume they were offended mostly by the boobage area. Which makes NO SENSE at all. There is absolutely nothing showing on her outfit and I don’t see that outfit as particularly offensive. I don’t get it.
The Amish would have more class than SW and never act this way.
Waits for the inevitable SWA Flight attendant cut-out at the ticket counter: “Your skirt must be THIS TALL to fly Southwest.”
they need to come out with a dress code already if they are going to keep doing this
Southwest Airlines stated today that it’s up to their employees to make the decisions as to what is acceptable for passengers to wear aboard their planes.
So if you have an Evangelist flight attendant, guess what’s gonna be acceptable.
Of course they won’t tell you that you don’t meet their standard until after you’ve purchased your ticket and have boarded the plane. They want to make sure they have your money first.
Maybe some of you may disagree with me; but I think SWA are the only ones who bother to see other people dress a bit sexy. I think the F.A. are rude and irresponsible to approach two females in a road (both of them in their 20′s) to cover up themselves with blankets and even request them to keep themselves covered during the fly. I hope they get sued or they must change their “passenger’s dressing code” which I find absurd.
So I was on an Amtrak train recently wearing a similar (although somewhat longer dress) going to NYC because I was going straight from the train station to dinner. Should one of the Amtrak attendants have told me to “Cover up” because I wasn’t wearing a suit or large old-lady holiday sweater?
I don’t find her outfit at all inappropriate, and I do not think it’s the place of a random flight attendant to deem what is appropriate or inappropriate, especially if someone is not acting disruptive. So what’s appropriate? Would it have been ok if she had been wearing shorts and a tank top, but not ok to show the same amount of skin if she’s wearing a dress? So, pajamas are ok, but not a halter top? This whole thing leaves a bad taste in my mouth about Southwest and their policies.
Maybe it’s just me, but when flying, I always wear multiple layers on top(a tank and cardigan/twinset usually works), with either pants or jeans, depending on where I’m going from the flight. The idea of getting on a plane in either of their outfits gives my legs and sternum the chills. I vote Southwest should just crank the AC and freeze the inappropriateness right out of their customres.
In other news, can I start complaining when people show up for flights in pajamas, or offensively ugly clothing? There’s LOTS of that zooming about the friendly skies.
@CurbRunner:
CurbRunner: “So if you have an Evangelist flight attendant, guess what’s gonna be acceptable.”
What one person believes doesn’t mean they lack the common sense to respect other people.
Oh, Southwest. How could you do such a thing. Where’s the LUV!!!!
If the women want to show their open faced…um…BRANwich to the public, than SO BE IT!!!!
Ok. In all seriousness, Southwest shouldn’t care what their passengers wear within reason. If I was a well-endowed woman who shells out good money for a plane ticket, I would expect the attendants to hold their objections.
@MissJ:
ROFL! You’re not serious are you?? The “Moral Majority” would police thoughts if they thought they could get away with it.
If someone decided to sue SW – i’m sure that the company policy of leaving it up to the FA’s would be thrown out as being capricious and lacking in uniformity as to how it’s applied. They either need to have a clearly stated policy available for inspection prior to ticket purchase or abide by the law as to what is indecent or not.
@Razzler: Only people who understand either feminism or the first amendment get to call me “honeybunch.” kthanxbye
Miss Morality here…does anyone beside this old lady remember when you actually used to get dressed up to go fly on a plane? It wasn’t all that long ago, folks! Every time we try to make things more casual for ourselves, we turn them into sh**. We went “business casual” in the office, look what happened there. We went casual in the restaurants, now everyone complains about the unruly children that folks bring to the “casual” (read: OKAY TO BRING KIDS) restaurants. We went casual on airlines and now you complain about the dude in the next seat with the leaky cheeseburger and the the lady up front with the halter dress on (without a bra). Last spring, a 2nd grade student in my classroom wore a a shirt that said, “You make me want to puke.” A second grader. I wear a dress, with underwear, to work every day. No one has ever tried to kick me off a plane or out of a restaurant. Hooray to Southwest for trying to bring some decorum back to flying.
Just because they make it in your size doesn’t mean you should wear it.
@kc2idf: It is not illegal to be a hipocrite.
Can we hire these Southwest employees to follow around Britney Spears as style consultants?
Oh, wait, I think I figured out what happened!
Southwest Employee 1: “Check her out, she’s smuggling raisins” [chuckles to self]
Southwest Employee 2: [thinking Southwest Employee 1 said "razors" and noticing passenger has a muslim-sounding name pulls aside the passenger]
Southwest Employee 2: [realizing that scantily-clad woman in skintight clothing could not possibly be smuggling anything tries to think fast] “Miss, you’ll, uh, have to cover up because, uh, your clothes are … inappropriate.” [Crap! We just got in trouble over that!]
Southwest Employee 1: [Laughs heartily in the background.]
…but not a real green dress — that’s cruel…
My concern for both women…aren’t they cold? I’m freezing on planes, in jeans, t-shirt, and a hoodie. I can’t imagine being comfortable in a short skirt or a halter dress just because I’d be freezing. The blanket would be welcome.
@windycitypolski:
If you want to complain about how people used to dress up for flights, then you’d better take into consideration how different the airlines treat customers now.
My grandfather was an airline pilot who started back in the 50s. You can bet that every passenger on his flights (including relatives of crew members) were dressed to the nines. But I’ve also got boxes full of his old documents, and came across a bunch of PanAm stuff. There were menus, in full color, in several languages, including appetizer, entree, and drinks. Drink service was included in the ticket price. If you paid for a more expensive ticket, you actually got different service, rather than just a symbolic curtain barrier.
When I’m jerked around and delayed for hours on end, and have to spend nights in the airport because a flight is cancelled, and get checked by security three times in one day because I’m on sedatives for the damn flight, then you can bet that I won’t be wearing my “Sunday best” to the airport. It’d be like wearing a ballgown to a sportsbar.
I remember a similar discussion on another forum involving cruise ships and Norwegian Cruise Lines allowing people to wear jeans to dinner. I remember the problem was that a lot of people felt as if cruises had become too casual, and that it wasn’t treated as a special occasion anymore because cruises are more affordable. Back when it was a novelty, everyone dressed to the nines. Same with planes now.
@acambras: Nice reference. Bet nobody gets it. Good thing it wasn’t fur.
Is there any evidence/proof this employee did this a matter of corporate policy, or is it just as likely it was a personal decision?
And no, something a corporation did 30 years ago regarding dress is not appropriate to any alleged dress code today. People change over the course of 30 years. Corporations are almost always run by entirely different management after 30 years. Southwest certainly is.
If 30 years ago your parents were Democrat, and you, today are a Republican, is it right to say that you are a hypocrite because your parents were Democrat? (reverse parties or pick two opposing ones as you deem fit)? No.