Manchester Airport Lounge Turned Away Minnie Mouse T-shirt Family
BBC News | Aug. 17, 2017
A family on their way to Disney World were refused entry to an airport lounge because they were wearing Minnie Mouse T-shirts.
Emma Raikes was flying to Florida on Monday with six relatives, including a two-year-old niece, and booked access to Manchester Airport's Aspire Lounge.
Staff told the group their personalised Minnie Mouse T-shirts did not fit the lounge dress code.
Operator Swissport apologised and said staff had "misinterpreted" the code.
'Made us feel targeted'
Ms Raikes, from Yorkshire, said the group had been delayed in entering the lounge because the booking was made in her mother's name and she had been held up in security.
"Nothing was said about our clothes at this time," Ms Raikes added.
When her mother caught up with her family, staff said the group could not enter the lounge because of their T-shirts.
Her mother suggested covering up their T-shirts with jumpers and cardigans and the group was then granted access.
In a statement, Swissport said its lounge dress code does not permit tour shirts, sportswear and fancy dress.
"The fact a man and young boy walked straight in after us wearing Manchester United (football) tops made us feel like it was just us that had been pulled up, which made us feel targeted," Ms Raikes said.
"This was not sportswear or T-shirts with offensive slogans. To me, tour shirts mean a group of people, maybe a stag/hen, with 'lads on tour' or something along those lines."
The family was embarking on a two-week holiday to Disney World and had paid 107 pounds in total for lounge entry.
The party included Ms Raikes' mother and partner, along with her sister, husband and niece who all live in the Wakefield or Leeds areas and her brother-in-law's sister from Cumbria.
Swissport's statement said: "On this specific occasion, the member of staff who dealt with the family was wrong to have asked them to cover their personalised T-shirts and has misinterpreted the dress code which is designed to ensure a comfortable atmosphere for all guests within our network of lounges.
"We sincerely apologise to the family for this genuine mistake and would encourage them to contact us directly to resolve this matter.
"The entire team at Manchester Aspire Lounge will be re-educated on the dress code to ensure this does not happen again."