She intended to fly from Mallorca to Barcelona, but was denied boarding for appearing with a look considered unsuitable, i.e. a “low-cut bodysuit”: this is the episode for which the Vueling airline was sanctioned in Spain, forced to pay a fine of 28,000 euros by virtue of violations of national and European legislation regarding the conditions of transport in civil aviation.
The case was made known by the Spanish consumer association Facua, which had reported Vueling’s behavior towards a customer to the State Aviation Safety Agency (Aesa). This is an episode that occurred in 2019, but whose developments, with the sanction established by Aesa against the airline, have only now been made known. According to Facua, Vueling’s “chauvinism” and the “discriminatory” attitude of its staff displayed in this case are thus punished. “No rule expressly prohibits the admission of passengers based on their clothing, as long as it is not contrary to public order,” recalls the consumer association.
Quoted by Efe, a spokesperson for the airline instead claimed that in the case described the passenger had responded “aggressively” and that “the travel conditions, which apply equally to men and women, establish the possibility of denying the ‘boarding for behavioral reasons’. At the time, Vueling had explained that the customer had shown up for boarding “in costume”.
