MUMBAI: An IndiGo woman passenger was stopped from boarding a flight on Monday as the airline officials found the dress she was wearing to be objectionable.
The woman, a former employee of IndiGo, was wearing a frock that ended above her knee. Her brother is currently an IndiGo employee and she was travelling on an air ticket provided by the airline for free to its staff and their kin.
According to an airline official, since the woman was using the "staff leisure travel privileges", they were bound to follow the dress code laid down by the airline."
The dress code allows knee-length dresses, but that does not mean that any employee or their kin wearing a dress that stops above the knee should have been questioned. The manner in which the matter was handled was inappropriate," said the official adding that they will sensitize their employees to this issue.
Airline dress codes are not applicable to fare-paying passengers.
The incident took place when the woman was to board a Mumbai-Delhi flight. She was stopped by three IndiGo staffers at the airport who questioned her choice of dress as it didn't strictly adhere to the airline dress code. "As the questioning went on, the woman had to miss the flight. The woman then changed into a pair of trousers and she was accommodated on a later flight," the official added.
IndiGo confirmed the incident and said that the woman was questioned as the dress code applied to its employees and their family members when they travel using the staff leisure travel privileges offered by the airline. But the spokesperson added that the manner in which the issue was handled is being investigated and the staff will be sensitized.
"We regret that an IndiGo passenger (who happens to be an ex IndiGo employee and a family member of a current employee) experienced an untoward behaviour at the Mumbai airport ... As per the guidelines outlined, employees and the nominated family members are required to maintain a specific dress code, as and when they fly with the airline under the staff leisure travel privileges. Keeping in mind this policy, the Mumbai ground staff followed the protocol to brief this passenger on the dress code policy," said the airline statement.
The woman, a former employee of IndiGo, was wearing a frock that ended above her knee. Her brother is currently an IndiGo employee and she was travelling on an air ticket provided by the airline for free to its staff and their kin.
According to an airline official, since the woman was using the "staff leisure travel privileges", they were bound to follow the dress code laid down by the airline."
The dress code allows knee-length dresses, but that does not mean that any employee or their kin wearing a dress that stops above the knee should have been questioned. The manner in which the matter was handled was inappropriate," said the official adding that they will sensitize their employees to this issue.
Airline dress codes are not applicable to fare-paying passengers.
The incident took place when the woman was to board a Mumbai-Delhi flight. She was stopped by three IndiGo staffers at the airport who questioned her choice of dress as it didn't strictly adhere to the airline dress code. "As the questioning went on, the woman had to miss the flight. The woman then changed into a pair of trousers and she was accommodated on a later flight," the official added.
IndiGo confirmed the incident and said that the woman was questioned as the dress code applied to its employees and their family members when they travel using the staff leisure travel privileges offered by the airline. But the spokesperson added that the manner in which the issue was handled is being investigated and the staff will be sensitized.
"We regret that an IndiGo passenger (who happens to be an ex IndiGo employee and a family member of a current employee) experienced an untoward behaviour at the Mumbai airport ... As per the guidelines outlined, employees and the nominated family members are required to maintain a specific dress code, as and when they fly with the airline under the staff leisure travel privileges. Keeping in mind this policy, the Mumbai ground staff followed the protocol to brief this passenger on the dress code policy," said the airline statement.
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