A family were left feeling outraged after they were refused entry to an airport lounge in Manchester Airport - because they were wearing Minnie Mouse T-shirts.
Emma Raikes, 33, was travelling with her mother, her two-year-old niece Quinn, and five other family members on a holiday to Disney World Florida. The family had donned customised Minnie Mouse T-shirts to celebrate their big trip before setting off.
Emma’s mother, Jane Walshaw, said she had splashed out for the privilege to access the Aspire Lounge in Terminal One ahead of their “family moon” to Disney World, in Florida.
However, when they requested access, staff told them they could not come in unless they put on jumpers, according to The Manchester Evening News.
Emma took to Twitter, writing: “Being told you are not allowed in the @AspireLounge in T1 MAN with a two-year-old as you have Minnie Mouse and name printed on a T-shirt – poor.”
She said: “We were extremely disappointed at the hassle we faced when trying to enter the lounge we had booked.
Being told you are not allowed in the @AspireLounge in T1 MAN with a 2 year old as you have Minnie Mouse and name printed on a tshirt poor pic.twitter.com/yNllEwv5IL
— Emma Raikes (@EmmaRaikes) August 14, 2017
“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.”
Emma added: “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.
“They eventually let us in, but only if we put jumpers on”.
A spokesperson for the airport claimed there had been a misunderstanding on the part of the staff member who initially denied the family access to the lounge.
Family turned away from exclusive UK airport lounge because of their Minnie Mouse shirts https://t.co/7PX0sZFNnD pic.twitter.com/fw06NltGt2
— Daily Express (@Daily_Express) August 15, 2017
“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.
“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.”
