All major US airlines have a dress code that passengers are required to adhere to in order to be allowed to board their plane. However, experts note that these rules are often 'vague' and left up to the discretion of airline employees.
Adam Anolik, who specializes in travel law, previously told The Washington Post: 'Different airlines have their own policies regarding dress, but they are often vague and leave an exorbitant amount of discretion to the airline employees.'
On its website, American Airlines offers very limited guidance about what outfits are deemed appropriate for travel, saying simply in its 'conditions of carriage' that passengers must 'dress appropriately', adding that 'bare feet or offensive clothing aren't allowed'.
Both Southwest and JetBlue deny passengers dressed in 'lewd, obscene, or patently offensive' garments, while Delta says travelers will deny those in attire that 'creates an unreasonable risk of offense or annoyance to other passengers'.
In the past year alone, several travelers have fallen foul of these 'vague' regulations, with many taking to social media in order to blast their respective airlines for branding their outfits 'offensive' or 'inappropriate'.
In July 2021, Turkish bodybuilder Deniz Saypinar, 26, claimed that she was banned from an American Airlines flight because staff found her sports bra and denim short ensemble too inappropriate
In July last year, a Turkish bodybuilder and fitness model living in the US revealed that she was stopped from boarding an American Airlines plane in Texas, claiming that staff had told her she was too skimpily dressed.
Influencer Deniz Saypinar, 26, who moved to the US to avoid the conservative surroundings in her homeland, claimed she was banned from boarding her flight to Miami because the authorities found her outfit inappropriate.
The bodybuilder got stuck at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in Texas after American Airlines flight attendants deemed her fashion sense unfitting.
Outraged, Saypinar took to social media to share her ordeal with her one million Instagram followers and said: 'You will never believe what happened to me at Texas Airport.'
In a teary Instagram story, Saypinar criticized the staff and claimed they called her 'naked' while displaying the outfit that caused staff to choose not to allow her onto the flight.
The fitness model explained how she was told by flight attendants that her style 'disturbed other families' at the airport.
American Airlines is not the only company to come under fire from passengers over its dress code however.
In October 2020, a Playboy model and mother-of-one accused Southwest of 'discrimination' after she was kicked off a plane with her seven-year-old son because of her revealing outfit.
Eve J Marie, 26, was flying from Dallas, Texas, to Tulsa, Oklahoma, alongside her seven-year-old son on October 29, when the flight attendants asked her to step off the plane.
In October 2020, a Playboy model and mom-of-one accused Southwest of 'discrimination' after she was kicked off a plane because of her revealing outfit
Eve J Marie, 26, was flying from Dallas, Texas, to Tulsa, Oklahoma, alongside her seven-year-old son on October 29, when the flight attendants asked her to step off the plane
The Instagram influencer and Playboy model was wearing a low-cut leopard print outfit that showed off her ample cleavage, which the crew claimed was against the dress code policy.
Eve documented her experience on Instagram, sharing a clip of herself at the airport preparing to board her flight, before posting a follow-up video in which she hit out at the airline for what she says was 'discriminatory' treatment.
'When they threatened to remove me off the plane if I didn't have a change of clothes,' Eve said of the incident. 'I felt completely humiliated, embarrassed and highly offended.
'I'm an A list member for [Southwest Airlines] and have a credit
