The Qantas lounge gave her a dressing down for her ugg boots. I’m with the airline on this one

Recently, someone got turfed out of the Qantas lounge in Melbourne. Not for being drunk, obnoxious, for gluttonous plate stacking, food smuggling or overstaying their welcome, but for wearing ugg boots.

Cassidy Gaiter, a singer and theatre performer, said she’d worn the same slippers into five lounges in the past month without a blink from staff. This time, apparently, she didn’t look “business” enough , so someone made a beeline for her at the door.

Cue the outrage cycle. “Make it make sense,” she said. Except it does make sense; it’s just not the sense she wanted it to make. Face it: their house, their rules.

Here’s the thing nobody wants to hear: airport style has been in freefall for years, and the ugg boot bouncer moment isn’t some kooky overreach. It’s one of the last places still enforcing the idea that how you show up in public matters even slightly. And I’m absolutely here for it.

While Cassidy – who seems a nice human – has since deleted her initial lounge banishment beef from TikTok, it got me thinking. Once upon a time, flying was an event. Not a ballgown moment but it at least involved presentable humans in public spaces. These days, somewhere between boarding-group chaos, delayed flights and neck-pillow couture, we’ve collectively decided the plane – and now, apparently, the airline lounge – is just an extension of the couch.

Nobody’s asking for three-piece suits or cocktail attire at 35,000 feet – we’re not resurrecting Mad Men energy – but there’s a wide, comfortable middle ground between “airport chic” and “I rolled out of bed and emotionally gave up”. And lots of fliers, whether frequent or not, have set up camp firmly at the second address.

And even though we try to sleep on a plane (whether you turn left or right on boarding) you should no more arrive in PJs for the flight than you would walk into a restaurant with an apron and a baking dish expecting to make some noise in the kitchen.

Athleisure did some of this damage. Leggings, hoodies, slides, sock-and-sandal hybrids are all technically functional but at times worn with the enthusiasm of someone who has accepted defeat before gate allocation.

Sure, comfort is king when you fly but it doesn’t mean a bit of spit and polish should get walked out via the emergency exit.

The “wellness comfort” movement of soft fabrics, oversized everything, breathable nothing-in-particular is brilliant and something we all love, but while long-haul flights are hard on circulation, spines and peace of mind, comfort doesn’t have to mean visual and sensory chaos.

Tailored track pants exist. Clean sneakers exist. So do clipped toenails, underarm deodorant and pumice stones. Uggs, famously, were designed for the walk from the shower to the couch and are a winter-wardrobe staple at my place but they’re not for an airport lounge with a buffet, a bar and a view of the tarmac.

Interestingly, this isn’t the first time uggs have caused an airport lounge brouhaha. Nearly a decade ago a Human League singer was also denied entry to a lounge for wearing the sheepskin beauties.

Social media hasn’t helped with our haute flying attire either.