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Family Not Allowed In Airport Lounge Because Of Their 'Offensive' T-Shirts

Family Not Allowed In Airport Lounge Because Of Their 'Offensive' T-Shirts

What?!

Mark McGowan

Mark McGowan

A family have been turned away from a premium lounge at Manchester Airport because of the t-shirts that they were wearing.

Emma Raikes, along with her mother Jane, two-year-old niece Quinn and other family members were getting ready to fly to Disney World in Florida and had suitably festive Minnie Mouse t-shirts on for the occasion, each emblazoned with their name and "family moon," celebrating the family's trip to the USA.

However, when they arrived at the Aspire Lounge, they were knocked back by security staff who felt that their t-shirts were inappropriate. They had been granted access to the lounge on previous trips and Emma's mum Jane had paid close to £170 to go in the exclusive area before their flight on Monday morning.

"We were extremely disappointed at the hassle we faced when trying to enter the lounge we had booked," said Emma. "We are on a family moon to Disney and did not think a Minnie Mouse T-shirt with our name on would be seen as offensive.

"It was a disappointing start to our holiday. I wouldn't mind but a Minnie Mouse T-shirt with our name on is not offensive in any way. My niece was grumpy and crying as she was hungry."

"It's not like we were a stag or hen party" she added.

Credit: MEN

They were eventually allowed access, but only if they agreed to cover up the offending t-shirts.

"They eventually let us in, but only if we put jumpers on. We were boiling and the lady on the desk wasn't even nice about it," explained Emma. "We have been in the escape lounge twice before which is lovely and never had any issues."

Swissport, the company that operates the lounge, were apologetic. "Our lounges do have a dress code in which we allow guests to wear a myriad of smart casual items and disallow other items such as tour shirts, sportswear and fancy dress," they said in a statement.

Credit: MEN

"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."

Words by Mike Wood

Featured Image Credit: MEN

Topics: Airport, Florida, Mickey Mouse