Spirit Airlines is introducing new terms and conditions that dictate what passengers can and cannot wear on board its flights. The update to the carrier’s contract of carriage includes a dress code section that warns would-be flyers they can be denied boarding or even thrown off a flight if they choose to wear clothes or show tattoos that are deemed too revealing or offensive.
“Lewd, obscene or offensive”
The policy change came into effect on Wednesday 22 January 2025. It notes that passengers attempting to board Spirit flights wearing transparent or see-through clothing that exposes “breasts, buttocks or other private parts” shall not be allowed to fly. The same rule applies to those who are “barefoot or inadequately clothed” and people with “body art” that is considered “lewd, obscene, or offensive in nature.”
While many airlines do not allow passengers to travel barefoot, the banning of offensive tattoos is not something usually covered by other carriers’ policies, meaning that passengers with risqué tattoos will either have to conceal them with make-up or clothing or may in future choose to avoid flying with Spirit altogether.
Why an airline would drive potential customers away when its finances are in such poor shape that it has had to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, is a question that some might ask. The answer could be related to a series of high-profile incidents where people have been thrown off Spirit flights due to arguments over their clothing. In October 2024, two female passengers were denied carriage after they wore crop tops on the day of their journey. And in mid-January 2025, a male passenger was escorted from a flight due to a hoodie that was deemed offensive, even though he had offered to take it off.
@johnmiller2a86f2 A Southern California woman and her friend claim they were kicked off a #SpiritAirlines flight for wearing #croptops, and they're now accusing the airline of singling them out and embarrassing them. #travel #dresscode ♬ original sound – story time
Legal action
Avoiding legal action that could result in the airline having to pay out large sums in compensation may be part of the equation that Spirit has weighed up before bringing the dress code changes into force.
American Airlines is being sued after removing a number of passengers from a flight from Phoenix to New York a year ago, in January 2024. The all-male group of Black passengers was removed after being accused of body odour. Three of the group of unrelated passengers filed a court complaint for racial discrimination after the incident which they said was “traumatic, upsetting, scary, humiliating, and degrading.”
At the time of writing, Spirit has not responded to press requests for comment.
