Lufthansa has responded after a German fitness influencer claimed she was blocked from boarding her flight because she looked “naked.”
Airline dress code etiquette can be a tough topic, especially during a heatwave where flyers may not want to wear too many clothes in the scorching heat.
Edda Elisa Pilz, an Instagram model and TikToker with millions of followers, was one such individual. While boarding a flight from Berlin to Austria in 30°C (86°F) temperatures, the model was dressed in athletic attire consisting of a bra-style crop top and shorts.
According to the influencer, Lufthansa refused to let her board because of her clothes, or lack thereof.
Influencer accuses Lufthansa of not letting her fly cause she looked “naked”
“Lufthansa, we need to talk,” she said in a video translated by Airlive. Pilz explained that as she was scanning her boarding pass, an agent refused to let her on the plane.
“You can’t board like that,” she recalled the agent saying. After asking for clarification, he reportedly added, “You’re not wearing anything. You’re naked.”
Despite grabbing a jacket from her carry-on, the staff member once again refused to let her board until it was zipped up and covered her chest.
Making matters worse, the influencer said that the agent then proceeded to blame her for delaying the whole flight.
“It was 30 degrees outside. If there are rules, I accept them. But then show them to me,” she said before also arguing that the rules are sexist. “Men get straight onto the plane when they’re coming back from Mallorca.”
Since going viral, Lufthansa responded to the incident, saying that the employee shouldn’t have called her “naked” as it goes against their standards.
The airline continued to say that it serves passengers from different cultures and Pilz attire could have ‘negatively affected’ them.
“Generally, Lufthansa expects all passengers to wear clothing that is appropriate for the nature of public travel and does not negatively affect the well-being of fellow passengers from a wide range of cultural backgrounds.”
Furthermore, the airline said it was investigating the incident.
Lufthansa isn’t the only airline with rules that may catch passengers off guard. Earlier this year, United Airlines introduced a rule that could see flyers removed from flights and banned if they refuse to use headphones while playing audio on personal devices.
