Three women say they were booted off a Spirit Airlines flight before it took off from Los Angeles on Friday because they were wearing crop tops.
The incident unfolded when a pair of friends — Tara Kehidi and Teresa Araujo from California — say they were sitting on the flight to New Orleans pre-takeoff when they decided to take off their sweaters off to cool down because the cabin’s air-conditioning system was not working, ABC7 reports.
"We were wearing crop tops... just like a little bit of stomach showing," Kehidi told ABC7.
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Kehidi told the outlet that a male flight attendant then approached them and aggressively mumbled "put something on" before walking away.
"He's telling both of us (to) put our sweaters on," Kehidi recalled. "And then we're like 'Oh, can we see a dress code? Like, is there a policy that says we can't wear crop tops on the plane?’"
Carla Hager, a fellow passenger they did not know, was sitting in front of them with her toddler when she heard the commotion taking place.
She told KABC that she decided to support the women as she agreed the plane was very hot and other people on the flight had their sweaters off also.
"I said 'Well, if your body is inappropriate, then so is mine because I also have a crop top under my sweater,’" Hager told the outlet. "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.’"
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The trio say that they were then all kicked off the flight without refunds. Hager had to disembark the aircraft with her toddler and video footage shows a child crying as Hager gathers her belongings.
Fox News Business reached out to Spirit Airlines for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Spirit Airline’s Contract of Carriage states that the company can deny a customer from boarding or require them to leave if they are "barefoot or inadequately clothed," or if their "clothing is lewd, obscene, or offensive in nature."
The contract does not explain what type of clothing would be deemed inadequate or lewd and crop tops are not explicitly mentioned.
Araujo told ABC7 that she felt they were being singled out and left embarrassed by the low-cost carrier.
"We felt we were being treated like... like criminals, you know," Araujo told ABC7. "Everyone in the plane was looking at us."
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Araujo and Kehidi told ABC7 that they offered to put their sweaters back on multiple times to prevent being booted from the plane, but the flight attendant told them it was too late.
They say they then had to fork out $1,000 to pay for a last-minute Delta Air Lines flight to bring them to New Orleans where they were celebrating Kehidi’s birthday.
The two friends tell ABC7 they are now interested in taking legal action.
Separately, The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Spirit is engaging in talks with bondholders and creditors about the possibility of filing for bankruptcy. The potential bankruptcy filing comes after Spirit's failed $3.8 billion merger with JetBlue Airways. JetBlue announced plans in 2022 to merge with Spirit, but the carrier terminated the plan in March, citing regulatory challenges.
