Saggy pants, ‘abusive’ language get couple booted from plane

Published 10:13 pm Tuesday, July 31, 2012

CHICAGO — A man was kicked off a Spirit Airlines flight at O’Hare International Airport over the weekend after he became “verbally abusive” to flight attendants who asked him to pull up his sagging pants, an airline spokeswoman said.

The man and the woman he was traveling with Sunday morning became “verbally abusive,” threatening physical harm to flight attendants who had asked him to pull up his pants, which were “excessively low,” hanging below his buttocks, Spirit spokeswoman Misty Pinson said. The man was boarding an Orlando-bound plane when flight attendants spoke to him, she said.

Crew members may ask customers to comply with various requests, if they are in “the best interest” of the other customers, Pinson said.

When law enforcement arrived, the two Spirit customers gathered their things and deplaned.

Spirit’s code requires that customers wear shoes and “adequate” clothing, Pinson said. However, if the customer’s conduct is disorderly or abusive, the customer may be asked to deplane.

The man and the woman who were escorted off the plane were booked on the next Spirit flight available for their destination.

The couple’s original flight, scheduled for an 8:35 a.m. departure Sunday, was delayed about five minutes, Pinson said.

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&Copy;2012 Chicago Tribune

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