A Spirit Airlines passenger was kicked off of a Los Angeles to San Antonio flight because of an offensive hoodie. And I guess this is newsworthy because, until now, we didn’t know that clothing could fail to meet the minimum standards necessary to fly Spirit Airlines.
The sweatshirt misspelled the F-word with a v instead of u, suggesting doing that act to “hate.” But the crew of that Spirit Airlines flight were gonna hate hate hate, it seems.
The passenger was placing his carry-on bag in the overhead bin prior to departure when a flight attendant approached and had him confirm his seat. Several minutes later she returned and ordered him to remove the sweatshirt due to obscene language.
At first he refused, and was told that he’d have to leave the aircraft if he didn’t comply. He removed the sweatshirt, but continued to question the rule. It was the refusal to capitulate to authority – demanding their names, so he could file a complaint – that appears to have gotten him removed from the flight.
The passenger who took video of the incident called the flight attendant a “Karen” and claimed she simply misunderstood the message of the sweatshirt.
The video’s uploader, Andrew Martin Hoel, dubbed the flight attendant a “Karen” — a pejorative term for an entitled woman who polices others’ behaviors — and claimed that she’d missed the message of the sweatshirt.
According to Spirit Airlines,
We want all our guests to feel welcome and have a great experience while traveling with us. We are aware of the video, and our team is investigating.
Airlines enforcing dress codes has become fraught, since discretion is generally left to crew on the scene with little training or consistency.
When an American Airlines passenger was kicked off a flight for wearing an ‘F-cancer’ hoodie American apologized, saying that the employee should have “taken the broader context of the message displayed on the customer’s shirt into consideration” and not enforced the rule.
Yet a passenger was kicked off of a flight for wearing an F-12 mask and the airline did not apologize. This is a little bit more controversial of a message, perhaps (anti-police) but it uses the same word, came right on the heels of the George Floyd protests (context), and the airline’s CEO started wearing a Black Lives Matter wristband shortly before the incident. The airline made Black Lives Matter pins available to employees.
Meanwhile, American told a former Miss Universe to cover up if she wanted to fly. She was wearing clothing less revealing than others on the same flight.
And Southwest Airlines has removed passengers for attire less revealing than the swimsuit that Israeli model Bar Refaeli wore on the side of one of their Boeing 737s.
Who knew, though, that Spirit Airlines had a dress code? The code of Fight Club, sure, but not of Tommy Bahama.
The F word is something that I, growing up in ass-backwards rural America, was taught was a horrific expletive that is never to be uttered especially around children.
Then I moved to high-caliber cities like San Francisco and New York and found out that people say the F word everywhere and it is just a word.
F***!
To hammer the point:
Treating the F word as an expletive =is associated with= ass backwards rural life dependent on blue states for government revenue all while voting red as much as possible against one’s own self interests.
Treating the F word as a normal word =is associated with= world class art and restaurants and entertainment and economic opportunities in scenic coastal vibrant metropolitan cities where all the bright ambitious people congregate (not to mention very beautiful especially when it comes to San Francisco and Miami… sorry New Yorkers are quite ugly)
On the post, Gary’s conclusion that these incidents are more about ‘refusal to capitulate to authority’ says it all. While I respect actual safety directives, this subjective policing of dress codes and decency standards is just a power trip. We should expect to see a lot more of this now, since the fish rots at the head, and our supreme leader is a convicted felon.
@Eileen
Please, feel free to ‘clutch pearls’ over what the city folk do, say, and wear—no one there cares what you think about them. Separately, aren’t you the commenter who often gets upset when anyone says something about Asians? I recall you claiming others were racist or xenophobic. They probably were, but remember, this isn’t a serious place, and Gary doesn’t micromanage comments, so good luck with all that.
I am perfectly fine with the passenger being removed from the flight due to arguing with the crew. Waiting for the next flight is reasonable therapy.
But the morbidly obese 300 pound man in a wife beater that thinks he’s a “stud” that’s more than ok. Or the same for the morbidly obese woman in daisy dukes with her udders hanging out. Sorry Spirit you help create this.
don’t call it a dress code. It’s a common sense.
Spirit is trash.
Spirit passengers are trash.
Spirit employees are trash.
Who cares what people are wearing (or not)? If crew or other passengers do not like it, they can look the other way. I have no way to avoid other passengers’ body odor or food odor, and/or when other passengers cannot fit into the single seat they purchased and encroach into my seat. Last week I was next to someone spilling over both armrests of the middle seat on a full flight.
If a F/A asks to change or remove your sweatshirt, follow along. Complain or blog about it later. It’s common sense, especially if you’re paying big bucks for the “Big Front Seat” on Spirit, like this guy.
Lesson number one. Comply with a request like this. Think about how you want to handle it when you arrive. If you still want to go the “why” route, do it at the arrival gate.
Pick the hill you’ll die on carefully.
None of this excuses the treatment here. But, as always, we nearly never have the full story.
Since I am not shocked by the F word nor do I, or those around me, use it casually in public, I now know I live in the “Goldilocks” zone of the US. Smart, but not snobbish. Tolerant without being so “tolerant,” you’re intolerant. Quality products, but not expensive. F yes!
Unfortunately, in the west, especially America and Australia, people really don’t care how they present themselves anymore. In America it’s much more prominent due to “comfort” and “individualism”, rather than thinking about those around them (children included).
I grew up American, but have always had respect for travel (the crew, ground staff, and fellow passengers), as a result, I’ll dress up than dress down. Either a collared shirt or crew neck (stylish) long sleeve shirt.
You start wearing stuff like “f**k whatever” or anything with vulgarity, it just shows you have no respect for society or yourself… I would bargain a number of people would agree with this sentiment.
They have had a dress code for years. A guy was kicked off my flight from FLL to RIC by a male flight attendant (guessing about 50) for wearing a shirt that said, “Pussy is not motion.”
Yes, I looked up “motion.” Maybe he was just standing up for his girl. Dunno. But, eventually, the young man in his 20’s had to be escorted off the aircraft.
although I’m not likely to wear something with the F word on it, any stewardess with an issue over what I am wearing can kiss my ass now and beat the rush. Call the cops, not leaving till they’re there.
The most amazing thing in this article is the picture of “The Former Miss Universe”, I guess DEI means that now ugly chicks can be Miss Universe these days, what a bowser!
Hate to bust your arrogant ego, but depending on the police officer and department policy, in some places if police are involved, someone is going to jail. Your rights don’t mean much in a holding cell with handcuffs in a strange city.
Its right in the contract of carriage
I’m fine with this as long as they approach or ask the passenger politely. If the passenger doesnt comply then they can rent a car.
It may be normal language for people who live in city slums but it needs to stay there.
@CHRIS — But would you rather have this crowd joining everyone else on Delta and United?
Segmentation in the market is a good thing at both the top and bottom.
This is all about tose woke morons that believe freedom of speech allows them to trash all vestiges of civility, no matter who they offend. It doesn’t say much about their upbringing.
Regarding those DEI upgrades someone mentioned, henceforth Orange Julius has decreed that first priority will be given to women named Karen.
(This is so fun to do because it takes my mind off level 16 on the life fitness cycle. Gary’s blog could be deducted as a healthcare expense if he charged).
I’m 1 hour in!
What business do airline personnel have in policing the language on a passenger’s tee-shirt?
Although passengers are to obey the instructions of the flight crew, as long as passengers do not interfere with the operation of the airplane, it’s unreasonable for the flight crew to monitor the clothing passengers wear. Caveat: passengers should not wear clothing that might cause problems should the plane have to be evacuated in the event of an emergency. Otherwise, how a passenger is dressed is none of the flight crew’s business.
Such incidents should be written up and reported to the FAA for that agency’s action.
Scanning the comments it is apparent that those who have manners do recognize the lack of them.. Those who don’t , don’t.
JG
You have a good point there
Lots of people seem to be saying that it’s only those on the political right who find it offensive, but let’s not forget that after countless decades of trying to censor anything that people find offensive, they’ve changed their minds and insist that they have the right to offend in the name of free speech.
The left never claimed that language such as on the shirt, not targeting anyone, is sinful, but also had no problem with not doing something solely because others find it offensive.
These days, the right is fine with anything that offends people as long as it offends someone else.
And what would be done about those Trumpist yokels with shirts emblazoned with “TRUMP 2024: F*** YOUR FEELINGS!”?
Is “F**k Joe Biden” enough to trigger this policy?
Or must you be deemed a Leftist, or be a person of color to have to comply? Double Jeopardy if you “look like an immigrant” in the climate of 2025.
“I am perfectly fine with the passenger being removed from the flight due to arguing with the crew. Waiting for the next flight is reasonable therapy.”
But, what if the argument was the result of a poorly performing cabin crew? What if the pax didn’t start it? Would it still be alright to remove the pax from the flight? I think not. A better solution would be for Spirit to have a clear, unambiguous dress code. I teach at a public high school and we have such a thing, replete with photos and descriptions. When a kid show up for class or prom, they are aware of what is acceptable, and what is not. If there’s a grey area, we generally assume the kid is in the right and then we tighten up the dress code after the fact in that area.
In Spirit’s case, this is just a power tripping employee who is offended by the F-word. Hey, I don’t like seeing it, either, but unless the dress code defines it as offensive in a clear an unambiguous way, kicking the guy off of the flight was wrong.