A young British woman's holiday was "ruined" when she was told by airplane staff she would be removed from her flight unless she "covered up".
On March 2, Emily O'Connor was confronted by a Thomas Cook flight attendant who claimed her outfit was "inappropriate" and she could only travel to Tenerife if she put on a jacket.
However, when she shared a photo of her outfit online, most people agreed that what she was wearing caused no offence.
Dressed in a pair of orange trousers and a black strappy bralette, the 21-year-old made it through security and passport control without any problems. But when she boarded the plane, she was allegedly "surrounded" by four members of staff who told her to cover up because she was "causing offence".
Writing on Twitter, she said the incident became more hostile as she was verbally abused by a man onboard, with staff doing nothing to stop him.
"I informed the staff that there is no 'appropriate wear' policy stipulated online. I stood up on the flight and asked if anyone was offended, no-one said a word..." she said. "To top it off they allowed a man hurl abuse at me whilst the Flight manager and 4 air staff stood and said nothing... A man then shouted “Shut up you pathetic woman. Put a f*cking jacket on”- the staff said nothing to him [sic]".
Emily, who was flying from Birmingham to Tenerife with five cousins, claimed she eventually relented and put on a jacket that her cousin gave her. However, she asserted that staff "did not leave until I physically put it on" and continued to "make comments over the speaker about the situation and left me shaking and upset on my own".
Speaking to Metro Online, she added: "It completely ruined my holiday. I was physically shaking, I was so embarrassed. I felt it was sexist and misogynistic. I felt so vulnerable."
Uploading a picture of the outfit she wore on the day, the young woman asked people on Twitter to vote in a poll to conclude whether or not her clothes were appropriate. As it stands, over 23,000 people have voted, with 85 per cent insisting that her choice of clothing was acceptable, and 15 per cent opting for "inappropriate flying wear".
Furthermore, dozens of outraged social media users commented on Emily's post, claiming they were appalled she had been treated this way by staff.
One person wrote: "I’m crew myself and would not think twice to ask you to cover up, there is no policy on what you can and cannot wear! That is awful to see that the crew on board made you feel that way, disgusting! [sic]"
"Shocking. Can't actually believe they actually went on like that to start with and can't believe nobody else spoke up," another added.
After her post went viral on Twitter, with more than 8,500 likes and 3,500 retweets, a spokesman for Thomas Cook responded, saying the airline was "sorry" to have upset Miss O'Connor and it was "clear" they could have "handled the situation better".
He said: "It's clear we could have handled the situation better. In common with most airlines, we have an appropriate clothing policy. This applies equally to men and women of all ages without discrimination. Our crews have the difficult task of implementing that policy and don't always get it right."
The airline added that its policy states customers wearing "inappropriate attire (including items with offensive slogans or images) will not be permitted to travel unless a change of clothes is possible".
