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'Completely Humiliated': Woman Almost Barred From United Airlines Flight Because Of Her Shirt

DENVER (CBS4) - A woman says what she was wearing almost got her booted off a flight, despite there being no strict dress code for paying customers. Andrea Worldwide tells CBS4 she is a United Airlines platinum member because of how often she flies with the company, but what happened to her has her rethinking things.

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(credit: Andrea Worldwide)

She's hoping for an explanation or apology before she comes back to Denver International Airport for another United flight in a few weeks.

Worldwide makes frequent trips to San Juan, Puerto Rico, to visit her long-distance boyfriend.

"I do that every 10 to 14 days or so, so I travel quite frequently," she said.

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Andrea Worldwide (credit: CBS)

On Jan. 13, a first-class United flight from Denver to Newark was the first stop on the long trip to see her boyfriend. She tells CBS4 she showed up to the flight she normally takes wearing the same type of clothing she typically wears.

"I normally take the overnight flights, so it's a midnight flight, very comfortable, and I get there around noon the next day," Worldwide said.

According to Worldwide, that trip almost didn't happen. She said that while waiting to board the plane, a male gate worker told her to step aside.

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(credit: CBS)

"I didn't get a reason at first, and then there was a little bit of shuffling going on with the other employees," she said.

Eventually, Worldwide says a supervisor told her the problem was her shirt, which was low cut, allowing you to see part of the bralette she was wearing underneath. Worldwide notes she was wearing a scarf over the outfit that could have easily covered anything up.

"I'm completely humiliated, embarrassed, confused," she described. "I feel like all eyes are on me."

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(credit: Andrea Worldwide)

According to Worldwide, the gate agents later changed their minds and allowed her on the plane. She said they even offered a travel voucher, which she didn't take.

On Monday, a company spokesperson released the following statement to CBS4:

"At United, our goal is for our customers to feel welcome and have a comfortable journey. We are reaching out to our customer to better understand what happened."

"Two hundred dollars doesn't even compare to the humiliation that I faced, and if another female has to face this, I'd rather get the word out and maybe they'll choose a different airline," Worldwide said.

According to United, there is a dress code for family members of employees and people utilizing buddy passes, but there are few clothing restrictions for paying customers.

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