Dressed to fly

[Gob]

Saudi Arabian Airlines (also known as Saudia), the national carrier of Saudi Arabia, has warned passengers about the way they dress, stating that those who are "clothed in a manner that would cause discomfort or offence to other passengers" could be denied boarding.

The restrictions apply to "women exposing legs or arms, or wearing too thin or too tight clothes and men wearing shorts exposing legs" as well as passengers who are barefoot, the airline's website states.

The dress code, which has provoked outrage on social media, is referred to within a list of rules about passengers' code of conduct on the website.

A separate page of the website, written in English and created to draw attention to the carrier's dress code, today appeared to have been taken down, following a flurry of criticism on Twitter.

Despite being contacted, Saudia has yet to confirm whether these requirements apply to all passengers across all classes on the plane, from business travellers to children and babies, or whether male passengers would also be refused boarding if they wear clothes that are too thin or tight or expose their arms. It has yet to clarify how the dress code will be enforced during the flight and what might be the consequences for any passengers who remove any clothing that would expose their arms and legs during the flight.

It has also yet to confirm when the dress code was issued and why it was imposed at all.

Saudi Arabia's former head of tourism and health, Ali Al Ghamdi, claimed Saudia's dress requirements were not exclusive to the carrier but were issued by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), and enforced in varying degrees by different airlines.

But IATA has denied those claims. "Reports in the media that IATA issues guidelines on dress code are incorrect. Dress code policy is entirely at the discretion of the airline," a spokesperson for IATA said.​

Saudia states that it "takes all the measures it possibly can to maximise passengers' comfort and convenience" and its website advises passengers to "wear comfortable clothes when you travel. Tight-fitting clothes may naturally cause some discomfort and it is advisable to wear loose-fitting clothes instead."

Saudi Arabian Airlines, which launched more than 70 years ago, operates flights from London Heathrow to Jeddah, Riyadh and Yanbu. Earlier this year, it was named the 'World's Most Improved Airline' at Skytrax's annual World Airline Awards, ranked 51st (up from 82nd last year) among the world's best airlines.

The airline previously came under fire in 2015, when it denied claims that it was considering enforcing a gender split on its flights after it reportedly received complaints from male passengers who were unhappy about other men sitting next to their wives and female family members, and a complaint about a flight attendant being too 'flirty'.



Read more: http://www.traveller.com.au/saudi-arabi ... z4pQ51nU9c

[Lord Jim]

Well, if you're dumb enough to fly on "Saudi Arabian Airlines" I guess you deserve what you get...

Must not have been able to get a ticket on Trans North Korea Airways...

[MajGenl.Meade]

I know, right?

For our flight to SA at the end of Sept (we hope), the cheapest deals are Ethiopian Air, Turkish Air and Qatar....

I'll pay more.