Airlines to customers: You can't wear that
 

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/487934...-you-cant-wear

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Have you or someone you know ever been denied a flight because of attire? Have you seen this happen at an airport? Where do airline standards of appropriate attire come from? Are the standards clear?

What say you, GCers?

The photo in the article has cleavage and she could have worn a tank top or something under the dress. Howeverrrrrrrr, will people go crazy over some cleavage? I hope the same policy would exist if a man had his shirt unbuttoned a great deal with no undershirt. (I know a man who wears his shirt unbuttoned a great deal with no undershirt during the summer yet he thinks it is inappropriate when women show cleavage or wear very tight attire.)

It's a frequent issue with Southwest. They give their employees a lot of latitude when deciding what is and is not appropriate. You'll see lots of articles on Huffpost about women being turned away for low cut shirts or too short shirts as well as men with pants hanging too low and shirts with inappropriate print. Note to travelers...beware on SWA. That's their reputation, and has been for a longtime.

While I can see where it's an issue of freedom of expression, at the same time I don't want to spend four hours in a seat that's covered in the last passenger's butt-sweat because some woman's shorts were not much better than underwear or a man couldn't be bothered to pull up his pants. A lot of what I see people wearing around town on a daily basis looks like borderline public indecency to me, and if a shirt is SO low cut that the staff feels uncomfortable, I don't see a problem with the passenger being asked to cover up. It's a family environment, and if a little turbulence is going to lead to a wardrobe malfunction, it's not okay.

Yes, they are so concerned with the too short shorts:
http://nogoodforme.filmstills.org/bl...icture_80.html

You don't have a right to free expression in a non-public forum, i.e., an airplane.

Then (as much as it sucks to have to do this) the airlines should probably publish very specific dress codes. Inches above the knee, pictures, etc included.

My question is, who on earth would fly on an A/C plane with all your stuff hanging out? I'd be freezing and miserable.

This. Unless I'm traveling on business, it's nice sweats/yoga pants, a t shirt, and a hoodie. (comfort+layers for warmth)

This is literally my airplane uniform. I wear this combo each and every time I fly!

And that uniform works for those of us who find it comfortable, convenient, and reasonable for a flight.

For those who choose to dress other ways, airlines need to release a dresscode if they are going to be so picky.

That, and also, airplanes are freaking filthy and dirty. Yeah, I'm being a germaphobe, but airplanes are dirty, like-"the bathroom floor of that gas station where Britney Spears walked barefoot during her meltdown of a few years' past"-dirty.

Why...would you want your skin touch any more of those filthy surfaces than you have to? GROSS!! :eek:

I agree with you, 100%. The airlines need to be specific and to manage expectations. If you give an inch, they'll take a mile. And I don't understand people who wear shirts on the plane with profanity on them...hello, there are children in the airport, if not on your plane. Inappropriate, much?

Well, that's one way to get a refund on a nonrefundable fare. ;)

I have a friend that is a flight attendant and was involved with a pretty serious emergency evacuation. I always remember her advice for clothing when flying- cotton pants (she suggest Khakis), long sleeved shirt, cotton socks and leather soled flat shoes that tie (no flip flops)

The reasons:
If you are lucky enough to get upgraded to first class, they are more likely to do it if you are dressed nicely (so Khakis rather than leggings). Also, cotton because if there is a fire, polyester and most sythetics will melt against your skin causing burns.
Long sleeved cotton shirt- cotton see above, long sleeved because it does get cold on the plane.
leather soled flat shoes- rubber soles will melt on a hot wing. also, you don't want to wear heels and then have to evac quickly. think of the people standing on the wings in the Hudson river- you are more stable in flat soled shoes than in heels.

She might be full of it, but it's worked for me so far!

I did get upgraded to first flying back to MD after an interview in AZ wearing a business suit. There may be something to this!

I've heard too too. I travel like this also. I also don't wear dresses or skirts in the event we need to slide out. I've never been a big fan of dressing in grubbies/comfort wear when traveling because I represent myself as a photog, my sorority, and so on. You never know who you will meet as I'm sure some of you can attest to. I've gotten some business cards/connections this way.

I just say, you don't need to wear a ballgown or tux to fly but dress sensibly. If you charter you own plane, I guess all bets are off.

The thing with the picture is the chick with the knockers had a flannel shirt, completely unbuttoned. Why didn't she just button the friggin shirt? Some people do occasionally need to be punished for being stupid.

But I've heard the clothing guidelines mentioned above before. After the United plane that crashed in Iowa, they found the women who were wearing nylons were much worse off than the women who weren't. But that being said, I wouldn't dress for a potential crash, I would dress for 1-comfort and 2-presentability. You don't have to be a beauty queen to fly, but a little self-respect will get you a long way. NEVER underestimate the power of the gate agent. And if she thinks you're a pig, she's going to be a lot less accommodating when she's got you or someone who doesn't gross her out to choose from to bump up or bump off.

A friend of mine had to evacuate the plane on the slide, not the stairs, and was wearing a skirt. She told me that there's so much grit on the slide that her legs were scarred for months. And that without an accident!

Sometimes when I'm traveling for work I don't have a choice. I have to wear suits if I'm going to straight to the location from the airport, or going straight to the airport from the location at the end. I just have to take my chances :/. When I'm traveling for pleasure or don't have to go straight from "work", then I dress more like they recommend.

Well AGDee, the chances of you encountering any reason to worry are limited. And somehow I bet you're not wearing the kinds of clothes that would get you thrown off a plane. But maybe it's a reason to not wear nylons (are they back in style?), and wear wool or other natural fiber instead of poly. And, dare I say it, a sensible shoe?

LOL...I definitely never dress in a way that would get me thrown off a plane! I was referring to the safety tips being discussed. And yes, I do wear sensible shoes anyway because I'm at the age where comfort trumps high fashion, especially when walking through airports. I was thinking about the legs on the slide. That sounds painful.

A few years ago I watched a documentary about a crash landing in the midwest. The flight attendant interviewed said her worst injury was due to her nylons...they melted and burned her legs. I don't know about passengers, but I think flight attendants still wear them when they wear skirted uniforms. Synthetic tights would probably be just as bad.

The crash of United flight 232 in Sioux City Iowa is an amazing story and because of the remarkable survivals (not everyone, but a lot of people), they learned a lot about airplane crashes and dos/don'ts in an emergency. The flight attendants should be in cotton pants. I think they are in pants most of the time now (the cutesy, skinny, dippy flight attendant days are pretty much over I think), but I don't know if they're gacky polyester uniform pants or if they're khaki style. Next time I fly I'll have to pay more attention.

Back in the day, when I was a little girl, my father always wore a suit when flying, even if we were going on vacation. Those days are long gone.

When flying on business, I usually wear a pantsuit and blouse. I used to have a blazer with many pockets, and it made getting through security a breeze - I kept my wallet, keys, and cell in the pockets, and when I got to security, I just threw the jacket in a tray, put my bags on the conveyor belt, and waltzed through the metal detector. The blazer is long gone, but I still do the pantsuit and blouse with trouser socks and flats (comfy, and easy to get out of and back into at security).

When flying out for a vacation, it's jeans or yoga pants, tank top, jacket, trouser socks, and flats or sandals. Most of my wardrobe is Chico's Traveler's line, which is acetate and a bit of spandex and very comfy. :)

If you want to wear a t-shirt, that's fine, but think about what's printed on it. If you're going to a social gathering with people you haven't met before, would you wear a t-shirt with an expletive or offensive comment on it? Probably not. So don't wear it to the airport.