A shocking incident has come to light in which a woman was asked to change her top, which was showing “too much skin,” to be able to board her Virgin Australia flight.
A 23-year-old woman, Catherine Bampton, was waiting to board her flight from Adelaide to Gold Coast on Wednesday when a female ground crew member approached her. The incident left Catherine “publicly embarrassed.”
“She told me in front of everyone that the pilot was refusing for me to board the plane because of the clothes I was wearing,” said Catherine, as per a report by was news.com.au. “I was in so much shock and was so confused because my clothes weren’t revealing.”
Catherine added that the crew member then asked her to wear another top.
“It was so embarrassing and humiliating. Everyone else waiting to board the plane was sitting there watching… and you could see they were staring in shock with their mouths open,” she said.
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Shortly after boarding the plane, Catherine asked the crew member what was wrong with her dress. “The pilot doesn’t like people showing too much skin,” the woman replied.
Catherine was wearing high-waisted trousers along with a high-necked halter top. She had to wear a jacket before boarding the flight.
She is seeking an apology from the pilot and has made the airline aware of the incident.
“The dress guidelines on our aircraft are similar to other airlines here in Australia and the vast majority of those who fly with us meet or exceed them,” a Virgin Australia Group spokesman said.
“As Australia’s most loved airline, it’s always been our intention that those who travel with Virgin Australia feel welcome and have a comfortable journey. We are undertaking a review of the incident, and while no formal complaint has been received by the guest as yet, we’ve proactively tried to reach out to better understand what happened,” the spokesman added.