Passengers With These Types Of Tattoos Or Clothing Are No Longer Able To Fly Spirit Airlines
Maybe we should start reading those terms and conditions.
Friends Stock | Shutterstock When most people are prepping for a flight, their standard "uniform for travel" is anything comfortable. Most people aren't thinking about making a statement with their attire, but for the few who do, Spirit Airlines may not be the carrier to choose.
As of January 22, 2025, Spirit Airlines is rolling out new guidelines for services on their flights. The Spirit Airlines Contract of Carriage indicates that passengers who are "barefoot or inadequately clothed" may be denied boarding a flight with the airline. Additionally, the policy indicates that passengers wearing inappropriate attire and lewd or offensive body art will not be permitted to board their flights if the Spirit Airlines Crew deems it so.
Spirit Airlines will no longer allow passengers with obscene tattoos or clothing to fly on their airplanes.
Specifically, Spirit Airlines' dress code policy indicates that passengers can be denied boarding or asked to be removed from a boarded flight if they are "barefoot" or are "inadequately clothed," which it defines as wearing "see-through clothing; not adequately covered; exposed breasts, buttocks, or other private parts," or "whose clothing or article, including body art, is lewd, obscene, or offensive in nature or has an offensive odor unless caused by a qualified disability."
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Spirit Airlines has not been shy about its family-friendly flying requirements despite passenger feedback. One disgruntled passenger told CBS News, "It's just too many rules. People are just trying to get to where they're going. I feel like you shouldn't put rules on how people wear their clothes while flying."
Several incidents on Spirit Airlines seem to have been the catalyst for the more restrictive dress code policy.
The controversial new policy comes after a slew of reported incidents on Spirit flights. In October 2024, two women were kicked off a Spirit Airlines flight for wearing crop tops after a male flight attendant told them to cover up. Another female passenger defended the girls and was also booted from the flight. Most recently, a man was kicked off a flight for wearing a band hoodie that was deemed profane.
There are proponents and critics of the policy on both sides of the aisle, but ultimately, as a private entity, Spirit can enforce any dress code restrictions it wants. Just like customers have the option to simply choose a less restrictive carrier.
Spirit isn’t the only airline with strict restrictions on dress codes. In fact, their policy is pretty standard when it comes to airline restrictions. Most people simply don't read the policy before flying, and, of course, each flight crew is different.
American Airlines came under fire in 2019 when a dress code violation resulted in a woman being asked to deplane.
Tisha Rowe thought that her flight on American Airlines was business as usual when she boarded. However, just before departure, she told ABC 13 Houston that a crew member escorted her off the flight. The crew member then asked her to “cover up” and told her that she would not be allowed back on the flight “unless she walked down the aisle wrapped in a blanket.” Rowe was wearing a one-piece romper-style outfit.
This has been a part of American Airlines Conditions of Carriage policy for years. Under passenger responsibilities, the airline makes customers comply with airline rules and safety by asking them to “dress appropriately; bare feet or offensive clothing aren’t allowed.” In Rowe’s case, she did not wear offensive clothing or walk around the flight barefoot. She told ABC News that she felt “humiliated” by the incident. American Airlines responded with an apology and promised to hire more diverse operatives who would not be so biased in the near future.
Spirit Airlines is already facing backlash from customers.
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Backlash towards Spirit Airlines has already begun online and in the skies as passengers claim it’s an affront to free speech and personal expression. Others defended the company’s policy, seeing how they could deny services to anyone at any time if they deemed it necessary.
In her TikTok video, Jessica Golich discussed what Spirit Airlines might constitute as being offensive, highlighting that the problem with the policy is that it is dependent on the discretion of the flight crew and not explicit in how it should be interpreted,
One commenter pointed out that "all airlines have dress codes, the enforcement has been lax. But some people are crazy when they show up. In swimsuits, pajamas, sheer clothing.”
Female passengers are not the only ones being harassed mid-flight; flight attendants have also experienced this from co-workers and male passengers. According to a survey by the AFA, 35% of flight attendants have experienced verbal sexual harassment from passengers. Something is fundamentally wrong when airlines push for modesty in passenger appearance when they should be pushing it for passenger behavior while on the flight.
Sylvia Ojeda is an author with a decade of experience writing novels and screenplays. She covers self-help, relationships, culture, and human interest topics.