Thank you SWA for having the courage to stand up and let your employees be subjective arbiters of morals! I particularly like how incredibly uneven this moral standards have been applied. My favorite part was when, instead of nipping this in the bud and issuing a quick apology, you held your ground and created a major media disaster. Myself and trial lawyers all over the country cannot thank you enough!

PS- What would I have to do to get the burlap sack concession at SWA gates? I could make a killing preventing people from being exposed to the depravity of modern fashion. Seriously, who do I talk to?

Give me a break...I am a 28 year old woman who thinks that the way many young women dress today is horrible. I appreciate what SW did; I myself do not want to see that on an airline or anywhere else. I live in STL where we just went through a record heat wave, and extremely high humidity...so don't tell me it is because it is hot. Besides, every flight I have been on, the AC is so cold you want a jacket and pants. Do these ladies have such low self-esteem that they need to dress so provocative to get attention? Pretty sad if I do say so. I am a thin curvy woman who could definitely dress like any of these young women, but I am also a mother and think about my career...as a paralegal, no law firm or judge wants a paralegal who dresses like a skank. So just wondering if she always wants to work at Hooters or if someday she would like a real job, because she won't get one dressed like that!!! By the way: the Britney Spears look is outÃ

Steve wrote: "assuming the outfit in question is indeed the same one Ms Ebbert wore for the Today Show interview, you all who support SWAÃ

I LOVE IT!!!!!!
I am going to have to take Southwest's side on this one.... There is a time and a place for everything...including the way you dress....that short skirt...sit down and it rises up. I'm sure the flight attendant was thinking of the possibility that this girl will need to stow her belongings overhead..raise arms, guess what, the skirt goes up as well......Thank you, no! I don't care to see that you are not a natural blonde. Save the outfit for Hooters! This girl probably gets upset when cat-calls are shot her way too!
Believe me, if I were right there next to her I would have opposed the way she is dressed....and it is not because of how I look and any insecurities I may have and feel threatened either.....I happen to be 42, though look early 30s....I wear a size 2 skirt....and my top, well let's just say porn stars which they were this size and natural! If I were to dress like that (jaws would drop) and stand next to her....believe me the eyes would be on me just as much as they are on her.
What part of dressing like that will get you attention good or bad does she not understand....she asked for the attention she got! Silly girl is still asking for attention by going on national television, only to embarass her self even more! she is no longer embarassed in front of 150 people (and I doubt the majority of fellow passengers even knew she was approached about her manner of dress) she is now embarassed in front of millions!! and worse, a producer in the studio has let everyone know that when she sits down...the skirt is indeed too short....wonder if she gets the hint that guys just are not attracted to that?

This girl needs to understand that when she walks outside the doors of Hooters, basic decency goes into effect.

Gotta love the "myspace" generation...first to complain they have no privacy...but they post their life story on myspace....and this is no different.

Now, to those that slam Southwest for this saying they are hypocrits because the flight attendants used to dress the same.....key here..USED TO, they no longer do because they have wised up.......can't say that for their critics in this situation.....

First of all this is supposed to be a free country. But this sounds like religious oriented shit that would come out of Saudi Arabia or Iran, Where RADICAL Islam dictates what you can wear; And where "modesty" police roam the shops making sure guys and girls are separtated, and not showing "too much" skin. Whats so bad about a woman's legs? Do these people think that there is something wicked about normal beauty? Remember that not so long ago, woman could get arrested for wearing pants in public. Because the religious extremists claimed that it was "to masculan". etc. This whole idea of so called "modesty" is religious oriented 100%. Its all apart of religious intolerance. We were all born naked. Docters see people naked. I suppose it would be considered very immodest by the religious right. The steward who couldnt see a young womens legs without throwing a "tantrum" clearly is the one with the problem. What about all the so called "Religious conservitive politicians and evangalists who were caught in their hypocritical acts. Ironicly the very things they denounced.

Wake up America! A second woman, dressed not violating any laws or publicly allowed cloth guidelines was threatened with removal unless she covered up and had to fly with a blanket wrapped around her! Wow! Has the public seen the outfit the second girl was humiliated over? It reached below the knees and no breasts were exposed in any fashion. Cleavage yes, but zero body parts were visible. The woman was another exceptionally attractive girl with a very fit sexy body. See a pattern here? Obviously Southwest is exposing a theme here about their cultural beliefs. We live in a free and evolved society that allows individuals the right to not be harrased by others because they have different tastes/lifestyles.

Who the hell do you think you are Southwest! You are out of control right wing, holy roller, intolerant organization that wants to promote the type of society like those in the wonderful Middle East where women can be killed for showing too much skin. Talk about dangerous! And you continue to defend your policies and culture! Brian Lusk, Southwest Manager of Customer Communication smugly directed everybody to read where the Today Show producer pointed out that the first girl thrown off a plane did "flash" the TV audience due to the skirt being so short. Hey Brian, the Today Show camera was several feet away pointed directly between her legs. Your airplane seats have about 18 inches between knees and the seat in front of you. When Brian travels does he crawl down the aisles on all fours with head and eyes at crotch level and stick his head between passenger's feet in order to "get offended" by a short skirt flashing him? Last time I walked down an airplane aisle I could not see up any woman's skirt. Maybe I was not trying hard enough! Southwest will gain some right wing nuts as new customers as a result of this, but they will lose customers 10 fold over for sure. I'm gone that is for sure!

I am going to post some of the things I LUV about Southwest:
Excellent service/employees
Great on-time performance
It's a fun airline (I have more fun flying SWA than I do any other airline!)
No assigned seating
Excellent safety record
The Company does a lot of altruistic work for others
Great fares
Casual uniforms
I LUV the theme painted planes

There are others, but I'll stop there for now. To the employees-keep your chins up! Everything will be okay! :)

I LUV SWA! :)

I am a frequent business traveler. There are a lot of aggravating people on airplanes, but this girl is the least of them. In fact, for most men, Kyla would be a welcome travel companion. If Southwest had more Kylas on their flights, it would be the airline of my choice.

Alas, based on Southwest's response, or lack of, I will not choose to fly Southwest again. I fly over 150 flights per year. Not 3 per year like those who have now decided to make Southwest their choice for air travel. And, like many others posting here, I'm going discourage others from flying Southwest.

So, now all you supporters of Southwest's actions, can fly liberated from hot women. And be comforted by all the stinky, loud, boorish people that surround you.

Oh, good luck on that bottom line Southwest.

I would like to congratulate SWA once again for standing up and not letting some "air headed blond" win! As a regular passenger of SWA, I also have rights and dont feel like I have to be "subjected" to some cheap looking not very pretty and obviously not very smart passeger. Why could she have not bought something else to wear on the return that looked "decent". I am sure there were shops somewhere in Tucson that sold clothing. In my opinion, she seems very insecure about herself....she seems to be imitating Paris Hilton! If this gal ever came into my place of business to interview for a position, sad to say her application would go in file 13~

I find it interesting that so many of the comments on this blog that support Southwest's position on this issue appear to be written by other women. I also find it interesting that most of the comments that contain atrocious spelling and grammar are also from individuals in support of the airline's actions. Most of the latter should take an English and/or writing class before adding their two cents' worth on such boards. (Then maybe the rest of us will actually be able to understand what you're attempting to convey.)

I think that it is a businesses right to decide what is acceptable to them. I mean some businesses have a "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Service" policy. A business reserves the right to serve and not serve who they please. Southwest was right in the fact that, that is their decision. If you don't like the fact that they don't allow that on their aircraft fly someone else. It's that simple. They weren't discriminating by age, race, gender or religion. So Southwest Airlines didn't not break any laws. They were practicing their legal right. It's irrelevant that people in schools dress that way they have a right to their own standard. Such as restaurants requiring a Coat and Tie. And it doesn't matter what the people before them have done as you well see in the link I posted. A business does not have to have a dress code to enforce one. Laws do not regulate any of a businesses regulations regarding to dress code as long as they aren't an OSHA violation. Half these people are speaking from what they think is right and not what is legal. Law does not regulate businesses right to refuse customers based on dress OSHA aside.

Shame on you Southwest.
I didn't realize that you were the Moral Majority airline.
If there is a dresscode, you should publish it - and clearly if you ban miniskirts and tight shirts, you will lose ALL your business.
This is really a disgusting matter, and you should apologize publicly to the passenger in question, and state your dresscode (or lack thereof).
I'm very very disappointed in the airline, and its treatment of this passenger.
Blech!

If SWA wants to become dress code enforcers, they should begin with so many of the slobs who climb on board looking/smelling as if they just ran on from mowing the yard in 100 plus Dallas temps. Dress code has long since gone by the wayside. SWA made a major mistake in making a horrible example of their stupidity by humiliating this young lady. They need to spend more time trying to get their flights on time and less on establishing dress code based on the whims of individual agents of their airline. But it appears that it was a good publicity "act" on SWA's part. Fly your airplanes better and leave personal dress to paying customers. Or post your dress code so you can eliminate the slobs as well.....

Sad that a great airline like SW has fallen so deeply into the disciplinary mire. If your people need something extra to do in terms of regulating the already over-regulated traveler, have them work up a process to deal with children who spend an entire three hour flight screaming while mom and dad do nothing.

Ah, seminar posters. Welcome, one and all.

I applaud Southwest for being a bastion of modesty in these decadent times, and have no problem at all with what they did.

An admitted SWA apologist,
Paul T.

thank you, thank you for being bold enough to take a stand on indecent exposure. As I watched the Today show I had to laugh as I felt they were trying to say there was nothing wrong with her attire only to notice that when she was asked to sit down she was not able to do so without showing all of america her underwear. How pathetic of her to even think her appearance was decent. As the father of seven girls and 3 boys and as one who has spent many hours teaching modesty and it's effects, I applaud you all the way and only wish that more companies would take a stand.

Southwest.... WOW! You have received a lot of customers who are now angry. I have to say that you all were in the right though. I mean her skirt was very inappropriate. I saw it on the TODAY show and she claims how deeply sad she was. We are also throwing in "I had a doctors appointment" Goodness she is going to have a good case now.

THANKS SOUTHWEST FOR BEING THE GREATEST AIRLINE EVER!!

thanks to everyone for their comments. We are shutting off the commentss on this post. For additional info please see Colleen's new post : http://www.blogsouthwest.com/2007/09/14/wrapping-up-the-skirt-issue
Brian