Man denied first class due to track suit

DULLES, Va., Nov. 5 (UPI) -- A Maryland man said a United Airlines gate agent at a Virginia airport refused to allow him into the first-class cabin because he was wearing a track suit.

Armando Alvarez, a corporate vice president with Best Buy, said he used his United miles to upgrade to first class for his Oct. 26 flight from Dulles International Airport to Connecticut to visit the company's headquarters but the gate agent refused to let him enter the cabin, WTTG-TV, Washington, reported Thursday.

Alvarez said the agent told him he was dressed too casually for first class.

"I was humiliated. I was embarrassed and when some of the passengers were boarding behind me they said, 'Hey, what just happened?' And I said the agent just said I wasn't properly dressed to go in first class today. And they said, 'Was he kidding?' I said obviously not because I'm boarding and not getting in first class," Alvarez said.

United Airlines said the gate agent, a contract employee who works for Air Wisconsin, is being interviewed and security footage is being reviewed as part of a probe into the incident. Officials said United's dress code only stipulates that passengers wear clothes and shoes.