Spirit Airlines has updated its policies to prohibit passengers from wearing explicit or revealing clothing while boarding.
According to a report in the New York Times, the airline’s contracts of carriage state that “inadequately clothed” passengers, defined as those with exposed breasts, buttocks, or other private parts, or wearing sheer apparel, will not be allowed to board or may be required to leave the aircraft.
Spirit Airlines will also bar barefoot passengers from boarding.
Clarifying all of this tends to fall to airline employees, including the flight crew. In recent years, Spirit and other airlines have stopped passengers from boarding their flights for all kinds of attire or lack thereof: leggings, clothes printed with expletive-laded slogans, short shorts and not wearing a bra.
“It’s very subjective,” said Bobby Laurie, a former flight attendant and co-host of the travel show “The Jet Set,” noting that what one person finds offensive, another may not.
Several major US airlines have dress code policies that prohibit passengers from boarding flights barefoot or wearing clothing deemed inappropriate. These policies are outlined in the airlines’ contracts of carriage, which specify the terms and conditions of travel.
Spirit Airlines and United Airlines explicitly state that they will not allow barefoot passengers to board their flights. JetBlue Airways has a similar policy, but it only applies to travelers over the age of five.
Delta Air Lines and Alaska Airlines reserve the right to remove passengers whose attire creates an “unreasonable risk of offense or annoyance to other passengers.” American Airlines simply asks passengers to “dress appropriately,” which means no bare feet or “offensive” clothing.