Denver, Colo. (KDVR, CNN Newsource) — It’s the leggings that sparked a social media uproar.
Now United Airlines is defending its decision to prevent teenage girls for boarding a flight for wearing leggings.
The airline known for its friendly skies isn`t buddying-up to the idea of leggings on certain travelers.
Shannon Watts says she watched three girls get singled out because they were wearing leggings on a united flight from Denver to Minneapolis. “We heard a gate agent say, “I don’t make the rules, I just enforce them.’”
One girl put a dress over her leggings .and was able to board, but the other two couldn`t get on the plane.
Watts was fired up, so she fired off some tweets. She said, “I got on a three hour flight and when I got off, I had calls from every media outlet not only in America, but outside of America.”
United Airlines says it has a dress code for travelers flying on employees` travel passes. They need to look presentable since they`re representing the airline and form-fitting spandex pants aren`t allowed, but jeans and shorts are okay.
Watts said, “It sounds like a very gender based policy that men can wear shorts but girls can’t wear leggings. It sexualizes young girls to make them feel like what they are wearing is inappropriate.”
“We always flew on those travel passes as employee benefits,” Cathy Moyer said. “I was kicked off the plane and told I couldn’t board because I had tennis shoes on. We had to go and buy me a pair of shoes just to get on the plane and that was in 1986 so this has been going on for a very, very long time. This wasn’t anything new.”
She says it`s a small inconvenience… for a free flight. “If that’s the hoops we had to jump through, then I didn’t see a problem with it.”
United says its policy is not meant to discriminate against anyone.
It`s staying grounded in its decision to not let those girls take off.
© 2024 KOBI-TV NBC5. All rights reserved unless otherwise stated.