On October 6, Spirit Airlines passenger Teresa Araujo shared a series of videos detailing her terrible experience leading to her forced deboarding from the aircraft. She claimed in an Instagram post, which has now gone viral, that a ‘sexist’ male attendant forced her and her friend to go back to the gate because of what they wore.
Corresponding to this, Teresa Araujo and her friend, Tara Kehidi, were allegedly removed from a Spirit Airlines flight from Los Angeles to New Orleans on October 4 due to their attire. Initially wearing sweaters, they removed them due to the plane's lack of air conditioning, revealing crop tops that showed a small portion of their midriffs.
According to the New York Post, a male flight attendant approached them, instructing them to "put something on." When asked about a dress code policy, the attendant reportedly walked away. The women claimed they were never shown a policy or given a clear explanation. "We were just wearing crop tops, a little bit of stomach showing," Kehidi explained. "It was confusing, and it felt discriminatory."
"This is appalling service, that in 2024..."
Passengers defended them, but a supervisor intervened, threatening police involvement if they didn't leave. The woman and a mother with a toddler were escorted off. Araujo claims the supervisor promised to rebook but later refused, citing no available flights. She later took to social media on October 6 to share her side of the story, posting a series of videos recounting the events leading up to her and her friend Tara Kehidi's removal from the Spirit Airlines flight.
''This is appalling service, that in 2024 we are getting kicked out of a plane for ONE MALE flight attendant not liking our shirts. Everyone working at the airport agreed this was an act of prejudice, discrimination and misogynist and that we should take legal actions,'' Araujo wrote on Instagram.
Araujo further alleged that she had to spend $1,000 to rebook another flight with a different airline. The two friends also claimed they did offer to put their sweaters back on multiple times in order to not get kicked off, but the flight attendant told them it was too late. "We were kind of embarrassed as well because we felt we were being treated like like criminals, you know. Everyone in the plane was looking at us," she told ABC7 Chicago.
The women allege that they are now interested in taking legal action. The incident has sparked debate about airline dress codes and potential biases. Spirit Airlines' policy states that passengers should dress "appropriately" but doesn't specify guidelines for midriff-baring tops.
In a statement sent to The Independent, a representative for Spirit Airlines said: “Our Contract of Carriage, a document all Guests agree to upon making a reservation with us, includes certain clothing standards for all Guests travelling with us. We are investigating the matter, and we are in contact with the Guests about their experience.”
The Contract of Carriage, as published on Spirit Airlines' website, states that any passenger may be forced to leave the aircraft if said traveller is “inadequately clothed, or whose clothing is lewd, obscene or offensive in nature.”
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