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Man denied first-class seat on United for wearing track suit
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UPDATE (10:15 p.m. ET on Thursday, Nov. 5): United is out with its side of the story. (Scroll down for the original post.) Airline spokesman Robin Urbanski told me in an e-mail Thursday evening that the airline does not have a policy that would prevent a customer from sitting in first class for dressing too casually. Instead, the gate agent apparently thought the customer in a track suit was an airline employee. If that would have been the case, an employee would have been subject to a dress code.

"We are working with our sub-contractor that was helping us with this flight to investigate what happened and ensure something like this does not happen again," Urbanski said in the e-mail. "This was an unfortunate miscommunication with the gate agent who speaks English as a second language and was simultaneously assisting another customer when he believed Mr. Alvarez to be an airline employee in which a dress code policy is required."

ORIGINAL POST (8:35 a.m. ET on Thursday, Nov.5): An executive with Best Buy claims a United Airlines gate agent refused to allow him to take a first-class seat because he was wearing a track suit, reports FOX 5 News of Washington. Armando Alvarez, a corporate executive with electronics retailer Best Buy, says he used miles to upgrade to first class on his Monday flight from Washington Dulles to Connecticut (presumably Hartford).

Alvarez says that once his upgrade cleared, he walked to the counter near the gate to get his new seat assignment. That's when he says the gate agent told him that his track suit was too casual for him to sit in first class. (See a picture and video of the suit on FOX 5’s website).

"I was humiliated," Alvarez is quoted as saying to FOX 5 reporter Will Thomas following the incident. "I was embarrassed and when some of the passengers were boarding behind me they said, 'Hey, what just happened?' And I said the agent just said I wasn't properly dressed to go in first class today. And they said, 'Was he kidding?' I said obviously not because I'm boarding and not getting in first class."

OTHER PASSENGER NEWS: Southwest kicks mom, cranky kid off flight

FOX 5 updates the story with a response from United. On its website, the TV station writes a United "spokesperson says they've identified the gate agent and he is a contract employee who works for Air Wisconsin. The spokesperson says the employee was interviewed and security footage from the terminal is being reviewed as officials for both airlines investigate the incident. United says there is no passenger dress code, but they cited two rules. Ticketed passengers can not be barefoot and must be clothed."

Today's talker: Do you think passengers should be denied first-class seating if they're dressed too casually? Or, should anyone be allowed to sit up front as long as they've paid for the seat or cashed in miles for an upgrade? Share your thoughts.


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