A JetBlue passenger was forced to change her dress after the crew deemed her shorts to be too short and could offend other families.
According to Mashable, Maggie McMuffin, a Burlesque performer, was asked to change by a gate agent at Logan Airport prior to boarding her flight to Seattle. She told KIR07 in Seattle that “it was the pilot’s final say so these are not official rules that can be broken. I felt very disrespected.”
She ended up purchasing a pair of $22 sleep trunks in an airport store, which she changed into before boarding. The airline is standing behind the crew’s decision, however they have agreed to reimburse McMuffin for the trunks, plus award her a US$200 flight voucher.
“The gate and onboard crew discussed the customer’s clothing and determined that the burlesque shorts may offend other families on the flight,” a JetBlue spokesman told KIR07. “We support our crew members’ discretion to make these difficult decisions, and we decided to reimburse the customer for the cost of the new shorts and offered a credit for future flight as a goodwill gesture.”
JetBlue’s contract of carriage includes a clause about proper attire under the conditions in which a passenger would be refused, however no specific dress code is outlined. It reads: “Persons whose conduct is or has been known to be disorderly, abusive, offensive, threatening, intimidating, violent, or whose clothing is lewd, obscene, or patently offensive.”
Agencies/Canadajournal