Get off!
Harriet Osborne said she burst into tears after the conversation she had with the cabin crew of her flight to her home country.
“When I tried to get back on she turned to the ground crew and said, ‘She’s not coming on my plane’” But what did Harriet do? What was so horrible the aircraft team didn’t allow her to travel? The answers to these questions are not what you expect.
Dream trip
When planning a hard-earned vacation, you only think of the amazing times to be had with your friends or family, the beautiful landscapes, the shopping and the parties.
This was the case for Harriet, who expected to have a beautiful trip and had planned for every second of it, but she never expected the complications that were about to come...
Who is Harriet Osborne
31-year-old Harriet Osborne is a Makeup Artist originally from Suffolk in the UK, she describes herself as a very modest woman, happy, and a summertime fanatic.
Harriet says she enjoys more life in a warmer weather and always has a bad time when she has to get through cold seasons. For this reason, the summer of 2019 she decided to make a bold choice
London’s weather
As most of us know, the weather in the UK is infamously cloudy and grey for most of the year. While there are some hotter months, the sun is an uncommon sight in London.
Temperatures are relatively low all year long, especially from December to February, and the summer only goes from June to early September, but still too cold to be fully enjoyed, which is why many brits use these months to visit their warmer european neighbors, as Harriet and friends decided to do, unaware of the nightmare they would have to endure soon.
Hardworker
In the first part of 2019, Harriet worked a lot, had intense working hours and multiple clients practically every day, which led her to make the decision to take a few vacation days, to get away from the city’s stress and also one of the coldest months of the year.
The long workloads allowed her to save some money for the trip, she was very happy to plan it and enjoy herself for a few days, little did she know that her trip wasn’t going to be at all as planned.
Planning the perfect trip
Harriet was known to be very meticulous and would not sit still until she felt as though every second of the trip was fully accounted for. She spent a lot of time designing her dream vacation. After all, she had worked hard for it and deserved something special.
She knew what she wanted: a warm place, near beautiful beaches, where she could tan all day and party all night. She showed her plans to her friends and soon they started joining in on her trip for one. Everything was mapped out, except the major setback they would soon have to endure.
The Destination
She and her friends decided Spain as the destination of their trip. They wanted to really feel the warm weather and warm people that live there, and also enjoy one of the richest cultures and tastiest foods in the world.
She was pretty excited, but as the weather in her hometown was almost never sunny, she noticed she didn’t have enough clothing items to travel with ease and use different pieces everyday, but she already had a plan in mind.
Shopping for the trip
As she arrived in Spain, she almost immediately felt the fiesta vibes, the whole group was about to have the journey of their lives, and they made sure of it by planning to visit beautiful iconic places and specially beaches in Malaga, Costa del Sol where they were staying!
One of the things that they loved the most about Malaga was the incredibly great weather during that time of the year, it also became a priority for them to shop clothing items more suitable for the hot weather, and bathing suits for the upcoming adventure they never expected to turn out as it did.
The calm before the storm
Everything was going according to her plans. It was the perfect trip: the weather was beautiful and so were the views. The Spanish costa was everything she dreamed of and more.
Harriet even recalls a very special day out with her girlfriends, where after spending the whole afternoon sunbathing, they met some English-speaking locals who showed them the hidden gems of the town, including a small restaurant where they ate paella, drank sangria and laughed watching the sunset. Nothing could prepare Harriet for what was about to come.
She is not like this!
As a mother of two, Harriet usually dresses up in her hometown very professionally and covered up. The English are known to be conservative in many aspects, including the way they dress, especially because of the United Kingdom's coldness where the first half of the year holds the coldest months, and it doesn’t get much better with the change of seasons.
In London, people normally dress in dark colors with many layers and don’t show much skin, not just to protect themselves from the rainy weather, but to look more put-together and professional. Harriet saw this trip as a way to get away from it all and change it up a bit, not knowing this decision might be her downfall...
A change of tune?
She wanted to live her fantasy, and seeing how other women dressed in Spain, she felt spontaneous and willing to take a few risks with the way she dressed.
In Malaga, it’s normal to see women wearing shorts, crop tops and even bathing suits walking down the street, so she decided to imitate them buying items that made her feel comfortable and beautiful. One of the most special items was a sheer blouse that she immediately fell in love with, but what came with it was a complete surprise.
Her dream blouse
Harriet and her friends were shopping when she visited one of the most recognizable retail stores in Spain: El Corte Inglés. When she was there she couldn’t stop thinking about a blouse she saw in the display window.
When she was about to check out, she finally decided to get back and try it on. After a few glances, and despite the elevated price, she knew she had to get it! But there was a problem
Almost Perfect
The blouse was indeed beautiful, but for Harriet wasn’t a smart choice to buy something so expensive that she couldn’t get good use out of. It was sheer, and in her normal life with the cold weather, she wasn’t going to be able to wear it as much as she wanted to.
Her friends after her hesitation convinced her of giving herself that small gift, after all she worked really hard and she deserved something she really wanted in return! What she didn’t expect was that her gift to herself was about to cause her a major complication.
Missing home
After a few days having the time of her life, Harriet started missing home, her family and children. Although she was having fun and felt happy, she wanted to come back.
The good (and bad) news was that the trip was ending, but she definitely enjoyed every moment of the trip, especially the ones where they went to the beach. She had such a good time that never something like what would happen after crossed her mind.
Finally getting back!
The day of her flight back home came, and Harriet wanted to be not only comfortable but to also make the most out of her recent purchase, which is why she took a complete made-in-Spain outfit and put it on to go to the airport.
The time to say goodbye to the amazing place that hosted her and her friends for several days came, she was sad for leaving but happy that the trip was a success and, to be honest, she was already missing even London’s weather. She never thought that it would be the start of a much more annoying adventure!
The plan is getting home
Without any problem, Harried passed through security and the airport. She didn’t even notice the looks she was getting as she was focused to get her gate on time.
When she got on time to the airplane door, she started noticing that she was being treated weirdly, the air hostess didn’t even greet her when she was passing, Harriet didn’t pay attention, and started walking to her seat but the stewardess moved quickly.
Clueless
She didn’t give much thought to the incident with the air hostess; after all, she didn’t think she was doing anything wrong. Maybe she had other things in her mind at the moment; what didn’t add up was the looks she was still getting from the plane crew.
Harriet was really confident about herself, and she believed that women have the right to dress exactly how they want to. She didn’t think anything was wrong, but the airplane staff clearly disagreed when this happened…
Discomfort
The plane was full, the passengers were waiting for the pilot to start the engine but instead, the stewardess started to approach Harriet. Her mind was thinking quickly: “Am I doing something wrong?”, “Why are they being so mean to me? I haven’t done anything”, “Am I being mistaken for someone else?”
But the problem was with her, and became clear when the attendant said “You’re not coming on my plane like that — you need to put a top on.” Harriet and everyone in the plane were in complete silence until…
Off Guard
“There have been multiple complaints about your blouse being too revealing” For Harriet it was first news, she didn’t even consider the top revealing. She just wanted to go home! And get back to her kids.
She didn’t understand the flight attendant's demand; she had taped her nipples and there was nothing that anyone could see through her blouse, and it was almost impossible for them to file multiple complaints as she just stepped foot in the plane a few minutes ago. Certainly, something else was going on…
Giving up
She wanted to make the airplane crew understand her point of view, and started to get in a heated argument with the flight attendant, but after a few moments she figured that it was better for her to just change her clothes and get home, she wasn’t going to get anything out of an argument with them.
After a quick argument with the stewardess, and feeling humiliated by the looks of the passengers and crew, she got off the plane to follow their request. However, she’d quickly find out this would not be enough…
Obedience
It was clear to Harriet that something was up, but she complied and got off the plane to get changed into a much less revealing outfit, putting on a sweater a friend had lent her; however, this did nothing to stop the stares once she got back on the plane.
Harriet felt so humiliated she couldn’t stop herself from expressing her discomfort to the stewardess as she passed by. The flight attendant didn’t immediately respond, and instead kept walking. Harriet thought the plane would finally take off at any minute, but she was still in for a turbulent ride.
Had she gone too far?
Harriet realized the nightmare was far from over when she noticed the flight crew whispering to each other. She had already complied with what she believed was a ridiculous demand from the crew. However, they would ask one last thing of her: to simply get off the plane.
Harriet was in utter shock at first, as she felt she had done nothing wrong. Desperate and tired, she just wanted to go home, but there was nothing left to do. She had to follow orders and get off the plane, and it was already too late. Had she stepped out of line?
Odds against her
To make matters worse, that was the last plane to London that day, so it’s not like she could just hop on the next flight and forget about the very unpleasant experience.
She would have to spend another night in Málaga, meaning more expenses: food, a place to stay and transportation to and from the airport. But there was a detail: after her vacations, all the shopping and the airplane ticket she didn’t get to use, she was running low on money. She did not know what to do next.
A damsel in distress
In shock, feeling humiliated and powerless, she cried on the airport terminal until two Spanish policemen approached her to interrogate her and let her know why she’d been kicked off the airplane: the flight crew had deemed her a public disturbance. She was in disbelief.
The policemen agreed that the flight attendants’ decision was a bit over the top, but there was nothing left to do. The plane had taken off long ago and she did not have enough money to go to a hotel. She would have to spend the night at the airport.
Going home at last
Despite her hellish night sleeping on the airport floor waiting for the next available flight with a friend who also stayed to support her, Harriet managed to finally get on a plane. She had just about enough money to purchase a ticket and soon she’d see her kids and go back to her life.
She learned her lesson, so she made sure to cover herself as much as possible. The plane finally took off and she landed in London safely, but she would never forget what had happened, and she would make sure they never forget either with a bold idea.
Telling her story
As soon as the plane landed, she got in contact with as many media outlets as she could think off, and the story kicked off quickly. Everybody wanted to interview her, and she refused to be quiet about the bittersweet trip to Spain.
Soon enough, the story became known all over England, and many people had their own opinions, some of which you will not believe.
Mixed reactions
The unusual story gained international attention quickly and, soon after, it became viral. The news sparked a conversation about a sensitive topic to many. People like Harriet felt it was sexist of the flight crew to ask her to cover herself more, and that the reaction was exaggerated; but others thought it was inappropriate of her to show up in that blouse, considering there were children aboard as well.
Harriet’s ordeal was picked up by the biggest media outlets all over the world. People were curious to see what the airline’s response would be. However, what happened later was a bit shocking to those who followed the story.
Your move, EasyJet
After such bad publicity, it was only logical to expect EasyJet, the airplane company, to issue a formal statement, maybe an apology, or even to refund the unused ticket. However, their silence was deafening.
EasyJet kept quiet at first and stood by their employee’s decision to remove Harriet from the plane, stating the following: “Our cabin and ground crew are trained to assess all situations and to act quickly and appropriately. We do not tolerate abusive or threatening behavior towards our staff.” Their official statement shocked Harriet and everyone on her side...
Not what she expected to hear
EasyJet confirmed Harriet had been on the plane that day, and addressed the situation: “We can confirm that a passenger travelling from Malaga to Stansted on 23 June was unable to travel due to behaving disruptively.”
The continued by stating: “Following concerns about her clothing, the crew politely requested that the customer wear an additional top for the flight which the customer agreed to. However, she then proceeded to act disruptively towards a member of our crew.” This would not be the last time an airline rejected a passenger because of what they’re wearing.
Who 's right?
Although a bit unfair, stories similar to Harriet’s are not uncommon. Many airlines stipulate in their terms and conditions they reserve the right to refuse passengers if they’re not dressed appropriately.
This ranges from showing too much cleavage -like Harriet-, to not wearing shoes, to even having “obscene words” stamped on clothing. So, now you know! If you want to travel without problems, this is another thing you have to take into account.