Leggings on a plane: Delta weighs in on United Airlines controversy

ATLANTA — It was the leggings policy heard ’round the world.

After United Airlines declined to allow girls who were wearing leggings to board a flight on pass travel and another passenger tweeted about it, the question of airline dress policies went viral.

But some have also pointed out that airlines often have more stringent policies for employees' friends or family who are traveling on reduced-rate buddy passes. It's a familiar issue in Atlanta, where Delta Air Lines is the largest employer and the metro area is home to tens of thousands of airline employees.

Actress Justine Bateman, best known from the 1980s TV show "Family Ties," is among those who pointed out the distinction on Twitter over the weekend.

"To be fair, these guidelines for 'employee passes' have been in place for decades. All the traveling airline employees know about them," Bateman tweeted on Sunday.

"I had to do the same when I flew on 'passes' as a kid, to be fair," she tweeted.

Delta says it does not have an “item-specific” clothing policy for employees and pass travel.

“We ask our employees and their family and friends flying on pass privileges to use their best judgment when deciding what to wear on a flight,” Delta said in a written statement.

And Delta emphasized that in a tweet on Monday.

A United Boeing 757 taxis past a Delta Airlines Boeing 757 at Los Angeles International Airport May 29, 2015. (Photo by John Gress/Corbis via Getty Images)

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