Southwest is seeking to minimize attire debate
Southwest Airlines Co., which once clad its flight attendants in hot pants but is now accused of being a prude, tried to turn the controversy on its head Friday.
After taking intense public heat for barring a 23-year-old passenger from flying because her outfit was too revealing, Southwest apologized for the incident and announced it was having a fare sale in honor of miniskirts.
“Some have said we’ve gone from wearing our famous hot pants to having hot flashes at Southwest, but nothing could be further from the truth,” Chief Executive Gary Kelly said in a statement before acknowledging that the carrier “could have handled this better.”
To make amends, the Dallas-based airline said it was offering the offended passenger, Kyla Ebbert of San Diego, two free round-trip tickets.
Southwest also launched a “skimpy” fare sale with one-way flights ranging from $49 to $109. The fare is available for flights on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays and must be purchased two weeks in advance by Sept. 24 for travel between Sept. 28 and Nov. 15.
The controversy erupted in July after Ebbert was asked by an airline employee at San Diego International Airport to change her miniskirt, top and sweater or get off the plane.
Ebbert, a waitress at a Hooters restaurant, was allowed to stay on the flight to Tucson after pulling her skirt down a bit and her top up.
Another woman complained this week about similar treatment, which added fuel to the controversy.
Southwest executives said they thought the incident with Ebbert had been resolved last month after Kelly apologized. But Ebbert has since appeared on several televisions shows, including “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” “Fox News” and NBC’s “Today Show,” to tell her tale.
She wore the controversial miniskirt during an interview with Matt Lauer on the “Today Show.” Her underwear was visible when she sat down.
On Friday, Ebbert took her case to the “Dr. Phil” show, where host Phil McGraw read another apology from Kelly. The show is scheduled to air Tuesday.
Ebbert could not be reached for comment.
The airline was still somewhat defiant Friday.
“We don’t have a dress code at Southwest Airlines, and we don’t want to put our employees in the position of being the fashion police,” Kelly said. “But there’s a fine line you walk sometimes in not offending other passengers.”
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The Associated Press was used in compiling this report.
