The Denver local news stations all had stories about this last night because the incident happened in Denver. They did not mention anything at all about the family, only about the Tweeter who started it all. I don’t think it was a big to-do at the counter. The younger child put on a dress and boarded the plane. The older girls changed and went on a later flight. The news stations asked some ‘people on the street’ (actually people in the park, wearing workout clothing) and at first all said it was stupid to ban leggings, but when they learned that they were non-rev passengers, all agreed that airlines have the right to set rules.
I don’t think anyone will try to nudge the rules in the near future.
While I think the passengers should abide by whatever rules are in place for the non-rev tickets, leggings are really just like jeans now for girls. They are a staple in any young girl’s wardrobe. Leggings can look really cute with a sweater and pair of boots. Nothing really inappropriate about them if done right.
Can I ask a question? How does a passenger tell who is using a non-rev pass and who is not? There has to be a way because United Corporate is apparently scared someone might take a picture of this person and use it as a mockery of United if the person is under dressed or not dressed in accordance with a policy that the general public does not even know about. I for one always suspected that not everyone on the plane pays the same amount. Do I care an employee friend is using a non-rev ticket? But I want to know what they look like? I don’t understand why United is so worried about a non-rev person wearing yoga pants. These non-rev people have to be identifiable someway in order for a passenger to make the connection to United and create ill will towards the airline. It would not make sense any other way. Are there special seats for these non-rev people sit in to identify them as associated with the airline?
Agreed, this is not a particularly good (aka ‘stupid’) policy, and I hope that all airlines (not just United) reconsider what appears to be their industry standard. But kudos to United for supporting their employee who was required to enforce this policy, standing their ground, and not letting themselves get pushed around by ignorant observers and consumers of social media. As many posters, I am not a great fan of United, but I am inclined to support them more after this incident.
“leggings are really just like jeans now for girls. They are a staple in any young girl’s wardrobe. Leggings can look really cute with a sweater and pair of boots. Nothing really inappropriate about them if done right.”
I think that is part of the issue - “if done right”. I’m sure we can all think of examples when it is done right and when it isn’t done right. Some of the latter can be a bit :-S . Now, the gate agent doesn’t need to be the arbiter of what leggings look is okay and what isn’t, right? They have enough on their plate without that being part of their job description and something like that does verge firmly into the subjective camp. Just better to have and enforce a “no leggings” policy. Same thing applies to schools with a dress code. No teacher wants to be the arbiter of decency and taste. So, you have a dress code.
It’s part and parcel of working in the industry and using those passes. Many industries have their rules that might seem extreme to the outside world. I worked in an industry which had rules not only on me as an employee but on my immediate family members on how we could and could not invest. Very restrictive, yes. Came with the territory of the job. You didn’t like it, you didn’t have to work there.
"Can I ask a question? How does a passenger tell who is using a non-rev pass and who is not? "
You won’t always know and they prefer that you don’t. But sometimes it comes up in conversation. They’ll also usually be the ones boarding at the very end, at the very last minute. Those aren’t usually people who are late they are people who’ve been cooling there heels waiting until the very last minute to see if they have a seat after all the late people show up. There also the ones you sometimes will see being pulled off a plane at the last minute. They are also the ones not wearing leggings, flip flops, and short shorts.
I don’t have a problem with a dress code as long as it is not sexist. United is a publicly traded company - so it can set a dress code if it likes, but if it is unfair and/or biased in one direction, that should be called out. I personally think not allowing leggings on a child of 10 is ridiculous, especially when grown men can wear shorts. Just because a company ‘can’ do something doesn’t mean it should be. Can they impose this dress code on people getting the cheapest fares, because they are getting a deal? Why is that any different? I’m also curious what other airlines have as dress codes…
I know many others don’t agree, but this is my opinion.
BTW, when I worked in banking in NYC in the late 80’s early 90’s women could wear pantsuits, but not skirts without hose. May not have been written down but we all knew that and abided. However, I wouldn’t accept that now. Times have changed
As far as airlines go united is stricter than most according to a friend who’s parent works for United. Unlike Delta and some of the others United doesn’t have buddy passes but just flight privileges for family members. I was born and raised on United Airlines. For many years you couldn’t wear jeans.
Many have asked who would know? As a nonrev passenger you always have the opportunity to be upgraded to first class. It boils down to business and first class being the bread and butter of the airlines. They want those passengers to. It have any reason to complain. It may. It be fair but those are the rules.
I posted this back in #25 but you can toggle here and see exactly what other airlines have for dress codes for employee passes. Some are more strict and don’t allow for jeans and/or shorts for example. I think talking about something like imposing a dress code on paying passengers isn’t really relevant because it’s not happening.
I wonder how many airlines have already rescinded their employee pass dress codes.
Although I can see that those dress codes were imposed with the companies’ best interests in mind, the United incident has shown how spectacularly they can backfire in terms of bad publicity.
While I find the dress code to be a bit ridiculous, it is the right of the airline to establish this. As others have pointed out, if the company is worried about their image with these rules,how would anyone else on the plane know “they represent United” or whatever…that said, it is their right. Given this applies to employee tied free travel, I think people may be making a mountain out of a molehill.
Where I would have a problem with these codes would be, as if often the case, it focuses on women, so a woman in leggings is considered “inappropriate” or wearing flip flops, where a guy in shorts and flip flops wouldn’t be flagged (and I don’t know if United or anyone does it like this). My experience with dress codes is often it is enforced on women/girls while ignoring men/boys.
Yes, they have the right to establish a dress code, however ridiculous it is, but we also have the right to voice the opinion that it is, indeed, ridiculous. This is a perfect example of them getting the very negative publicity that such a dresscode is written to avoid, only hundreds of thousands of times over.
The United non-rev dress code allows shorts that are within 3" of the knee or longer, but does not allow flip flops or form-fitting leggings. All of these rules apply to both men and women, so these rules are at least nominally gender-equal. Where someone may try to argue that they are not gender-equal in practice would be based on such things as women’s shorts usually being shorter than men’s shorts, and men rarely wearing form-fitting leggings by themselves.
@ucbalumnus:
I think my point would be about enforcement, for example if a guy was wearing shorts too short, or let’s say a drug related t shirt, would they stop him as versus a woman wearing something the rule says is inappropriate. Too often codes of dress and behavior are aimed more at women than men in terms of enforcement IME, not about the codes themselves. Like I wrote, I don’t know if United enforces this across the board or not, if so then while I might find the codes a bit bizarre, since no one knows who is ‘representing the company’ and who isn’t, as long as equally enforced I would be okay with it.
I agree @jym626 the sentiment is changing back to attacking the parents and the girls for not following rules. It seems like United scored a win with their media responses. The public has spoken and apparently what United did was fine. This is the power of social media to debate and determine the will of the public.
I disagree @MassDaD68 . Social media isn’t attacking anyone. They are simply letting the story die. As it should. It seems like the overreaction is being seen in context and its sort of a non-issue. You seem to want to stir up a battle where there simply isn’t one.
And I am rather enjoying flashbacks to Gilda Radner/Emily Litella’s “never mind”, and to visions of girdles and garder belts from days gone by.
Admit to being a bit curious as to whether these travellers were employees or on buddy passes. People are giving the parents the “blame” because, well, thats where it belongs.
The issue, IMO, isn’t whether or not you have sons. So do I. I don’t get to fly nonrev, but one of my sons does occasionally get to fly on a buddy pass. I am jealous. But I get to wear my leggings and nobody bats an eye. Now maybe if I get back on that diet someone might…
:-S . Now, the gate agent doesn’t need to be the arbiter of what leggings look is okay and what isn’t, right? They have enough on their plate without that being part of their job description and something like that does verge firmly into the subjective camp. Just better to have and enforce a “no leggings” policy. Same thing applies to schools with a dress code. No teacher wants to be the arbiter of decency and taste. So, you have a dress code.
