Sued over hoodies
US Airways is, supposedly, being sued by two people who were flying as non-revenue passengers in first class for being asked to remove their hoodies and dress according to a dress code.
Why? Because paying first class passengers were allowed to fly in hoodies.
It has long been common practice for airlines to enforce a dress code for those flying as non-revenue passengers. Those dress codes are no longer nearly as strict as they used to be. Today, “nice casual” or “business casual” is generally accepted even in First Class.
When I flew as non-revenue First Class passenger in the 1970’s, you wore a suit. Period. End of story.
The idea behind the dress code is not hard to understand. You are expected to dress well to represent the company among paying passengers and so that you do not run the risk of drawing attention to yourself as a non-revenue passenger. Paying passengers tend to resent people getting for free what they paid for.
Airlines vary some on what they’ll allow but I do not believe any US airline would permit hoodies and bluejeans in First Class by a non-revenue passenger. (And if any airline would permit it, I would suggest they shouldn’t.)
Are dress codes wrong or class driven?
No, they’re not. If you are flying as a non-revenue passenger, you are doing so on the courtesy of the airline. They airline makes this privilege available to certain people as a benefit and a courtesy. It is not a mandatory thing for them to supply and it really is a privilege.
So in return for not paying hundreds of dollars for your ticket, the airlines want you to dress appropriate, blend in well and represent the company appropriately.
They also want you to shut up about flying as a non-revenue passenger. That is not for public consumption . . . ever.
And since these two jokers were on “buddy passes” which are tickets supplied by an employee of the airline, I can assure you that the employee who supplied them is mortified and no doubt started distancing themselves from these two creeps as soon as possible. This is the kind of thing that gets one’s flight privileges lifted or suspended.
I feel bad for the US Airways employee who did these two jerks a favor and I hope this person is able to make it right with the company and their managers and retain their good name within the company.
When I worked for a predecessor to USAirways, my wife and I got first class passes on Eastern from Puerto Rico (San Juan) back to Baltimore. I was aware of the dress regulations, but since it was about 90 degrees and 90 per cent humidity, I was surprised when they told me I would have to go into economy. When I asked them if I could just put a tie and sport coat on, they said sure.
This was probably 30-40 years ago and am glad that they now allow business casual.