Saudi men barred from flight for turning up in 'sleeping gowns'

Two Saudi men were barred from boarding a plane for wearing sleeping gowns, and were ordered to take out new sets of clothes from heir bags to change into acceptable attire, for a flight between Madinah and Tabuk.

According to the Gulf News, a Saudi Airlines public relations officer pointed out that the two passengers had to comply with the regulations.

The officer said that short clothes, shorts and sleeping gowns were not allowed and all employees were aware of the restrictions and that any attire that was disturbing to passengers could not be allowed.

The incident, on Thursday, sparked an animated debate on social networks, where reactions ranged from support to sharp criticism of the airline for interfering in people's lives, the report said.

A similar incident occurred two weeks ago in Manchester, England after a Monarch Airlines supervisor reportedly told British passenger Alix Townsend, 18, that she could not fly with them to Majorca in Spain because she was wearing short shorts, the report added.

Last year, a woman flying from Las Vegas in the US said that she had been barred from flying for showing too much cleavage, the report further said.