A sports bra and tight, short leggings were enough to stop a passenger just moments before boarding. German fitness influencer Edda Elisa claims Lufthansa staff refused to let her board until she put on a sweatshirt and zipped it up completely.
The video she posted quickly went viral, fueling an online debate over whether airlines can decide what qualifies as appropriate attire for a flight and where the line should be drawn between enforcing standards of conduct and policing passengers' clothing.
According to reports by the Mirror, The Sun and other international media outlets, 25-year-old Elisa was trying to board a Lufthansa flight from Berlin to Austria wearing workout clothes while temperatures outside were around 30 degrees Celsius (86F). She says a gate agent scanned her boarding pass, stopped her and said, "You can't board like that." When she asked why, the employee allegedly replied, "You're not wearing anything. You're naked."
Elisa said she was asked to step aside until she put on another layer. After putting on a jacket, she claims she was then told to zip it up completely before being allowed to board.
"It was 30 degrees outside," she said in the video. "If there are rules, I accept them. But then show them to me."
She said what upset her most was the way the staff handled the situation.
The video, posted on her social media accounts where she has about 637,000 followers on TikTok and roughly 552,000 on Instagram, has racked up hundreds of thousands of views and ignited fierce debate.
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Edda Elisa claims Lufthansa staff refused to let her board until she put on a sweatshirt and zipped it up completely
(Photo: TikTok)
Unlike many viral incidents, a significant number of users sided with the airline, arguing that an aircraft is a public space where passengers should dress respectfully. Others pointed out that airplane seats are not disinfected after every flight, saying hygiene should also be taken into account.
Meanwhile, flight attendants and aviation professionals who commented on the video noted that in the event of an emergency evacuation, short clothing can cause burns when passengers slide down the emergency escape slide. Elisa's supporters, however, argued that she was simply wearing standard athletic clothing and that the rules were enforced excessively.
Edda Elisa
(Photo: TikTok)
In a statement to media outlets, Lufthansa said it takes all reports of inappropriate treatment of passengers seriously and is conducting an internal review of the incident. The airline added that it cannot comment on individual cases involving passengers or employees for privacy reasons.
(Photo: @edda.elisa / instagram)
The airline also said it expects all passengers to wear clothing "appropriate for public travel" that does not negatively affect the comfort of travelers from different cultural backgrounds, noting that this requirement is set out in its conditions of carriage. At the same time, Lufthansa stressed that the wording attributed to its employee, who allegedly told the passenger she was "naked", "does not meet our standards."
Lufthansa is not the only airline that reserves the right to intervene over passengers' clothing. Many airlines around the world include provisions in their conditions of carriage allowing them to deny boarding to passengers whose attire is considered inappropriate or could affect the comfort of others. In most cases, however, there is no specific list of prohibited clothing, leaving the decision to the discretion of airline staff — a situation that frequently sparks debate over where enforcement of the rules ends and subjective interpretation begins.