United Airlines has responded to criticism over barring two girls from boarding a flight for wearing leggings.
The incident happened on a flight from Denver to Minneapolis on Sunday and was published on Twitter by activist Shannon Watts.
United said the girls were travelling on a special pass, for employees and their guests, which has a dress code.
Following heavy criticism the airline has published a statement clarifying its position.
“We care about the way we present ourselves to you, our customers, as we believe that is part of the experience on board our flights. One of the benefits of working for an airline is that our employees are able to travel the world. Even better, they can extend this privilege to a select number of what we call "pass riders." These are relatives or friends who also receive the benefit of free or heavily discounted air travel – on our airline as well as on airlines around the world where we have mutual agreements in place for employees and pass riders.
“When taking advantage of this benefit, all employees and pass riders are considered representatives of United. And like most companies, we have a dress code that we ask employees and pass riders to follow. The passengers this morning were United pass riders and not in compliance with our dress code for company benefit travel. We regularly remind our employees that when they place a family member or friend on a flight for free as a standby passenger, they need to follow our dress code... to our regular customers, your leggings are welcome.”
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