Two women claim they were removed from a Spirit Airlines flight due to wearing crop tops.
Tara Kehidi and Teresa Araujo were traveling from Los Angeles to New Orleans on Oct. 4 to celebrate Kehidi's 30th birthday when the incident occurred. According to Kehidi's statement to KABC-TV, the women boarded wearing sweaters but removed them because the air conditioning was off.
After revealing their crop tops, Kehidi alleges a male flight attendant approached them, instructing them to "put something on." Araujo shared footage of the incident on Instagram, showing one woman in a white crop top, ripped jeans, and a green cardigan on her lap as the flight crew approached.
The situation escalated when another passenger, Carla Hager, who was sitting in front of Kehidi and Araujo with her child, became involved. Hager told KABC-TV, "I said 'well, if your body is inappropriate, then so is mine because I also have a crop top under my sweater.' And I took my sweater off and I was like 'so if they're kicking you off the flight, then they're also going to have to kick me and my toddler off of the flight.'"
In her social media post, Araujo described the flight attendant as "sexist and rude," claiming a supervisor threatened to involve law enforcement if they did not leave the flight. The women reported to KABC-TV that they did not receive a refund and had to purchase a $1,000 Delta flight to reach New Orleans. They also claimed they offered to put their sweaters back on, but a flight attendant allegedly said it was too late.
Spirit Airlines responded to the incident in a statement to KABC-TV, referencing their Contract of Carriage: "Our Contract of Carriage, a document all Guests agree to upon making a reservation with us, includes certain clothing standards for all Guests traveling with us. We are investigating the matter, and we are in contact with the Guests about their experience."
The airline's contract stipulates that passengers may be denied boarding or removed from an aircraft if they are "barefoot or inadequately clothed, or whose clothing is lewd, obscene, or offensive in nature."