Emily O'Connor, 21, flew with Thomas Cook Airlines for a holiday in Tenerife on 2 March wearing a black crop top and passed through security without incident.
The crew member then showed Ms. O'Connor page 113 of the inflight magazine, which stated that customers "wearing inappropriate attire" would not be allowed to travel "unless a change of clothes is possible."
— Emily O'Connor (@emroseoconnor) March 12, 2019
A different cabin crew member then said: "If you don't get changed we're putting you off the flight."
Ms. O'Connor turned to other passengers to ask them if she had offended anyone with her dress, adding that she would be "more than happy to cover up" if so, but no passengers responded. Ms. O'Connor's cousin then offered her jacket, allowing her to stay on the plane.
A crew member then made a public announcement, stating that if anyone was deemed to be "inappropriate" that they would be removed, prompting Ms. O'Connor to become "shaking and upset".
Ms O'Connor added: "There was a man wearing a tank top and shorts who was showing much more flesh than me."
Ms. O'Connor then flew back to Birmingham from Tenerife a week later wearing the same clothes. "No-one said a thing", she said, adding that her outbound flight was "the worst experience of my life". A male passenger on the flight had also called her a "pathetic woman" and told her to "put a f***ing jacket on".
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Some on Twitter defended Ms. O'Connor, with her friend Eleanor Smith venting to Thomas Cook online.
— Eleanor Smith (@eleanorsmith12) March 12, 2019
— Mal Yates (@MalcolmYates11) March 13, 2019
Others were not so sympathetic and backed Thomas Cook's actions, stating that Ms. O'Connor should have dressed more appropriately and was seeking attention for her actions.
— Andre Bue (@BueAndre) March 13, 2019
— Andy thomas (@ronaldo12345) March 13, 2019
A spokesperson for Thomas Cook said: "We are sorry that we upset Ms O'Connor. It's clear we could have handled the situation better."
The spokesperson added that Thomas Cook has "an appropriate clothing policy" similar to most airlines which "applies equally to men and women of all ages without discrimination".
"Our crews have the difficult task of implementing that policy and don't always get it right."
