A passenger threatened with being taken off a flight because she was not wearing a bra under her t-shirt denounced on Thursday a discriminatory “humiliation” and demanded a meeting with the boss of the American company Delta.
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The incident dates back to the end of January: Lisa Archbold had just boarded a plane to connect Salt Lake City to San Francisco, when a stewardess, according to her, took her aside before takeoff, because her t-shirt showed guess the shape of her breasts and nipples.
“The stewardess told him that when passengers wear offensive or revealing clothing, Delta’s official policy is to exclude them from the flight,” explained his lawyer, Gloria Allred, to the press in Los Angeles, denouncing the behavior “discriminatory”.
To stay on board, this 38-year-old woman had to put on a jacket over her t-shirt.
“I was targeted and humiliated,” Ms. Archbold said, detailing how the stewardess summoned her and then took her out of the plane in front of the other passengers. “The helplessness was worse than the humiliation.”
Rather than filing a complaint, this presenter requests a meeting with the boss of Delta to request the modification of a policy that she considers discriminatory.
According to this logic, “what will Delta do for young girls under 18?”, quipped her lawyer. “At what age should a girl make sure her nipples are not visible under a t-shirt?”
“The latest news is that the Taliban are not responsible for Delta,” asserted Ms. Allred.
“Male passengers are not required to cover their t-shirts with a shirt or jacket,” the lawyer continued. “They are also not required to wear a bra to board or remain on a plane and women should not be required to wear them.”
According to the lawyer, the American regulatory framework allows airlines to exclude a passenger from a flight only if he represents a risk to the safety of the plane or passengers. Which was not the case for Ms. Archbold.
“Neither her breasts nor those of any other woman have ever tried to take over an airplane,” she recalled. “Breasts are not weapons of war and it is not a crime for a woman or girl to have them.”
Contacted by AFP, Delta indicated that it had already presented its “apologies” to this customer.
