Woman claims Southwest Airlines made her cover up outfit before flight

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts

Get Simon Calder’s Travel email

A woman has publicly called out a US airline after claiming they singled her out because of what she was wearing – telling her she would need to cover up.

The passenger, using the name Mamacita Meeks, posted her story on Twitter/X, tagging the social media account of Southwest Airlines, the world’s largest budget airline.

She asked the airline why a member of staff tried to “pull me aside” to inform her she “needed to put a sweater on because what I was wearing was a sports bra.”

The incident occurred despite her stating that she wears “the same outfit every time I travel by air”.

She shared a series of pictures of her usual flying clothes, as well as one of her wearing a jumper, and later posted that “today was not about to be the day I get put on the no-fly list”.

The Independent has contacted Southwest Airlines for comment, and has approached the passenger for further information.

Her story didn’t gain her much sympathy among social media users, with one commenter telling her she was singled out because “a bra does not equal a shirt”. Another wrote “just nasty” – though it’s unclear if they were referring to wearing a sports bra on a flight, or the airline’s alleged behaviour.

It’s not the first time that flight attire has caused problems between passengers and airlines.

Last month, an athlete said she was “shamed” by a flight attendant who told her that the workout clothes she was wearing – consisting of Nike joggers and a crop top – were too revealing. She too was travelling with Southwest.

In May, two women claimed they were forced to change their clothes in public “with no cover” to board an American Airlines flight.

Chrissie Mayr claimed that what the pair ended up wearing “actually turned out to be more revealing” than their original outfits, consisting of a maxi skirt and trousers; both ended up in shorts instead.