Women Claim Airline Told Them To Change Their Clothes To Fly: 'Humiliating'

A traveler was left shocked when she and her friend were asked to change their outfits before boarding a plane.

Comedians Chrissie Mayr and Keanu Thompson told how they were forced to change their outfits in public "with no cover" at the demand of American Airlines flight attendants.

Mayr shared what happened on Twitter on May 2 and wrote: "Omfg an @AmericanAir employee forced me and @keanuCthompson to change our pants before getting on the flight which actually turned out to be MORE REVEALING."

Newsweek reached out to American Airlines for comment via email in the early hours of May 4.

Sharing pictures of their outfits before and after, Mayr and Thompson were wearing outfits with maxi skirts before being asked to change into shorts for the flight.

Mayr told Newsweek: "The flight was on Monday May 1 out of Las Vegas and we did what people do before a flight—we went to to the bar."

All of a sudden they looked at their phones and realized that the flight was boarding. Running to the gate, they were the last two passengers there and were shocked by what happened next.

"We're waiting and I feel a hand on my arm, like 'Ma'am can I talk to you for a second?' and I thought oh s***," said Mayr.

Despite having been through security and bag check with no issues, the American Airlines employee told the women that they would need to change: "He said you're gonna have to change your pants immediately, and it was just panic because we had to get on the flight, we didn't have time," she said.

Airplane etiquette is a hotly debated topic—and dress codes also come into question on some flights. In 2021, a woman said she was escorted off an Alaska Airlines flight over an "inappropriate" outfit when she wore a crop top on board.

Similarly, in 2022 a man said he was kicked off a flight for making a joke about genitals, but also felt that his T-shirt at the time may have prompted staff at Flint Bishop Airport, Michigan, to single him out.

Quickly rummaging through their bag, the two women fished out their shorts and tried to find somewhere to change with some privacy.

"I'm not a shy individual, but I was like 'Chrissy just block me.' We had to change with no cover," Thompson told Newsweek. "I crouched down quickly, putting the shorts on and I was like—nude from the waist down. I was wearing a skirt with the underwear stitched in."

Mayr, who is also a member of the American Airlines rewards club, was shocked that they were not able to take a moment to change somewhere private and later described the ordeal as "humiliating" in a follow-up tweet.

"We took it well, you know. We're comedians, we've got a sense of humor," said Thompson. "But anyone else it could have been really traumatic."

Once they boarded, they sat on the three-hour flight to Dallas and didn't move: "I'm a free-spirited sort of gal, but even that was a bit much for me," said Mayr.

"We felt pressured," she said. "It was high-pressure and looking back I should have questioned it and asked what was wrong with what I was wearing."

American Airlines has since responded to Mayr after her tweet gained viral attention and wrote: "Your comments concern us. Please join us in DMs, we're here and ready to listen."

Looking back, the comedians said they are still confused about the situation—and checked the American Airlines dress policy to see if they should have followed any rules.

"We looked at their travel rules and it just says something about offensive dressing, which is really subjective," said Mayr. "I thought, you know—I'm a gold member, I can't believe we were treated like that."