Airline Faces Flak For Asking Passenger To Cover Up 'Inappropriate' Crop Top

A British traveler criticized Thomas Cook, saying that the airline staff threatened to remove her from a flight if she did not cover up what they considered to be an “inappropriate” crop top. Emily O’Connor, 21, from England took to Twitter to detail the alleged incident.

In a series of tweets Tuesday, O’Connor called out airline staff, who she claims harassed her and verbally abused her after she boarded the plane from Birmingham. The young woman was traveling to Tenerife on March 2 with six friends for a four-day trip in the Canary Islands.

“Flying from Birmingham to Tenerife, Thomas Cook told me that they were going to remove me from the flight if I didn’t ‘cover up’ as I was ‘causing offence’ and was ‘inappropriate,'” she wrote on Twitter. “They had four flight staff around me to get my luggage to take me off the plane.”

The woman said she asked other passengers nearby whether they were offended by her outfit, to which no one replied.

In an interview with U.K.-based tabloid the Sun, O’Connor called the incident “the most sexist, misogynistic, embarrassing experience of my life.”

“I wore that outfit through security, through the whole of the airport and then I got onto the plane,” she told the Sun. “The flight attendant said that I was inappropriately dressed and I needed to cover up... The flight manager and the flight staff all came over and stood there, then said: ‘If you don’t put a jacket on now we’re taking you off the plane'."

O’Connor also claims she was harassed by a man on the plane, who shouted, “Shut up you pathetic woman, put a f------jacket on.” The crew did nothing in response, she said.

O’Connor also told the Sun Online she wore the same outfit on the return Thomas Cook flight without any issues.

Several social media users supported O’Connor, saying that the airline crew was wrong to have asked her to cover up.

"I’m crew myself and would not think twice to ask you to cover up, there is no policy on what you can and cannot wear! That is awful to see that the crew on board made you feel that way, disgusting!" user Jade Charlotte wrote. Another Twitter user said: "I work at an airport, people come through dressed like this all the time? I’ve seen guys wearing less on stag do’s for fun and not once have I ever heard of someone not being allowed on for inappropriate wear? Come on @ThomasCookUK not cool."

A Thomas Cook representative told Fox News they reached out to O’Connor to apologize for the incident. In a statement to Fox News, the airline said it has a dress code that staff is responsible for implementing.

“We are sorry that we upset Ms O’Connor. It’s clear we could have handled the situation better. In common with most airlines we have an appropriate attire policy. This 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.”