[Sportschosun Jang Jong-ho] A female influencer wearing a highly revealing outfit has sparked controversy after claiming that an airline employee stopped her from boarding a plane.
According to foreign media outlets including The Sun, fitness influencer Eda Pilz, who goes by the stage name Eda Elisa and lives in Berlin, Germany, said on social media that she recently experienced the incident while trying to board a Lufthansa flight from Berlin to Austria.
At the time, Germany was in the middle of a heat wave, with temperatures rising to around 30 degrees Celsius, and Eda was wearing a tight sports bra and leggings.
She claimed that she was stopped by a Lufthansa employee while heading to the boarding gate.
According to Eda, the employee told her, "You cannot board," and when she asked why, said, "You are wearing nothing. You are almost naked."
Eda explained that she was simply wearing ordinary workout clothes, but the employee asked her to put on an outer layer.
She eventually brought a jacket and put it on, but the employee told her that she would only be allowed to board if she zipped it all the way up and covered her body completely. Eda was able to get on the plane only after fastening the jacket as instructed.
She later posted a video of the incident on social networking service, criticizing the airline's response.
In response to her claim that the employee used such language, Lufthansa strongly denied it, saying, "That could not have happened."
The airline added that its conditions of carriage require all passengers to wear clothing appropriate for public transportation and not cause discomfort to other passengers from different cultural backgrounds.
It also said that, based on those rules, staff at the scene may exercise discretion depending on the situation, and that if a complaint is filed about how a passenger was treated, the airline will investigate the facts internally.
Netizens who saw the news reacted critically, saying things such as, "The airline staff don't seem to be at fault," "She just wanted attention," "There are children around, so she should tone down the exposure," and "Clothing should fit the time and place."
Reporter Jang Jong-ho bellho@sportschosun.com
