Have you ever thought twice about what you wore on a flight? Especially when the flight was six hours long and went into the next day? United Airlines may just have you reconsider your outfit choices due to controversy over whether a gate agent at an airport can choose to allow a passenger on the flight or not based on their attire.
This controversy started when Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, tweeted about how two teenage girls were turned away from their United Airlines flight. Why you ask? They were wearing leggings.
Eventually, a discussion brew between Watts and United Airlines on Twitter, when at one point United responded to Watts, that the airline has “the right to refuse passage to passengers who are barefoot or not properly clothed.” You’re probably asking, since when does an airline mandate what a passenger can wear? Celebrities such as Chrissy Teigan and Seth Rogen began asking the same thing as they chimed in on the discussion.
Turns out, the two teenage girls were flying on what United Airlines calls “buddy passes”. These passes are essentially discounted tickets that come with strings attached. The girls in question may fly on a cheaper ticket, but fly representing the values of the airline.
And as bad and ancient as this “buddy passes” system sounds, it gets worse; United released a statement that did not include an apology or explanation for how unhelpful and wrong they reacted on Twitter. This caused an even larger outbreak of frustration from groups of individuals across the nation.
The most frustrating thing all about all this bruhaha, however, is the fact that the amount of attention that has been placed on this controversial event makes it seem like United would rather have people talking about them, than talk about what matters in the world.