Local News

Social Media Explodes After United Bars Girls From Flight Over Leggings

/ CBS Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – United Airlines came under social media fire Sunday after a gate agent in Denver allegedly barred girls from boarding a flight to Minneapolis because they were wearing leggings.

The hubbub started with a string of tweets from Shannon Watts, the founder of the anti-gun violence group Moms Demand Action, who has more than 30,000 Twitter followers.

According to her tweets, she saw a United gate agent refuse to let some girls on a plane unless they changed out of their athletic pants or put on a skirt.

In response, United Airlines said it had the right to refuse transport to people who are not "properly clothed," noting that the girls were pass riders, not regular airline customers.

It didn't take long before the incident was trending on Twitter, with users both defending and attacking the company. Celebrities such as William Shatner‏, Sarah Silverman and Christine Teigen chimed in -- all critical of the airline.

As for the girls headed to Minneapolis, they were able to board the flight after changing, according to Watts.

First published on March 26, 2017 / 3:56 PM CDT

© 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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