Woman almost removed from Delta Airlines flight after not wearing bra

A woman was almost kicked off a Delta Airlines flight because she wasn’t wearing a bra.

Speaking to Yahoo News Australia, Lisa Archbold detailed her upsetting interaction with an airline crew member before her flight from Salt Lake City to San Francisco. On 22 January, the self-employed DJ was leaving Utah’s Sundance Film Festival and heading back home to the Bay Area. Minutes before her flight was scheduled to take off, once “every single person” was in their seat, Archbold was “loudly” called to the front of the aircraft.

According to Archbold, the female crew member ushered her off the plane to reprimand her for her outfit. She told her that what Archbold was wearing was “offensive attire” and “revealing”.

“After this long speech, she tells me she would allow me to stay on the flight if I put on my jacket,” Archbold admitted. The ensemble in question consisted of a “baggy” T-shirt and long pants.

“Keep in mind this flight was an hour and a half long so I was not going to be out of my seat again,” she continued. “So whatever offence she was pretending was happening from my nipples, she had just created that offence again, so it wasn’t logical – it was humiliation.”

Archbold told Yahoo News Australia that she’d taken off two of her coats in the airport before boarding the plane because Salt Lake City had been “unseasonably” warm. So, she threw on one of her jackets before heading back to her seat.

“I looked like a girl who didn’t care about being dressed like one,” Archbold, who identifies as queer, said. The frustrated passenger said she thought her being queer may have been why she was unjustly treated.

When it was time to exit the aircraft upon arrival, Archbold made it a point to let one of the male crew members know how she felt about the situation. She said she felt it was “discrimination”.

“He replied verbatim, ‘Our official policy on Delta Airlines is that women must cover-up.’ It’s pretty gross,” she added.

Delta Airlines has reached out to Archbold, offering their apologies. But according to her, the airline “stopped short of admitting any wrongdoing”, which is the opposite of what she wanted from them.

“I don’t need miles or an apology, I need Delta to be interested in the safety of their passengers,” Archbold said. “The dress code is extremely subjective. Subjective policies are easy vessels of abuse. They are easy to shift. Let’s make everyone more safe.”

The Independent has contacted Delta Airlines for a comment.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the first instance where a woman’s undergarments were brought into question by an airline. A recent report by The Sun alleged that British Airways was forced to remove a uniform recommendation after resistance from the flight attendants’ union.

Before the guidelines were changed, British Airways allegedly advised their female staffers which bras should be worn under their sheer uniforms.

“We’ve removed a recommendation from our uniform guidelines and will continue to listen to our colleagues about what works best for them,” an airline representative told The Independent.