A BRAVE British squaddie was ordered to remove her military uniform on a Virgin Atlantic flight from Britain in case it offended other passengers, according to reports.
Royal Navy helicopter technician Nicky Howse was told she would not be allowed on board the plane at Heathrow if she did not remove her combat fatigues.
Petty Officer Howse, 32, was travelling back to her deployment in America after compassionate leave at home in the UK when she tried to catch the flight to Los Angeles.
She was confronted by a security official and Virgin Atlantic staff who asked her to get changed, the Daily Mail reported.
The jobsworth staff got their flight rules wrong by telling Nicky, from Ipswich, Suffolk that the company did not allow military personnel to fly in uniform.
In an email to a friend, she wrote: “It was horrific. I was made to feel uncomfortable in my own country for wearing the uniform I wear to defend the place.
“It made me ashamed of my country that a British serviceman can’t travel in uniform. I was so distressed.
“It started at check-in. Some G4S security guy gave me the third degree about travelling in uniform. I was fuming. He was rude, he wouldn’t let the check-in girl give me my passport.”
“I was shaking with rage. I thought it was all done. But when I got to the departure gate I was taken to the side by the flight supervisor and they said I wasn’t allowed to fly in uniform and had to wear a sleep suit.
“I then stood feeling completely humiliated with other passengers, clearly curious as to what was going on, staring at me, waiting for him to come back with the black pyjamas.
“I asked if it was Virgin policy, they said ‘Yes’. I refused to wear it until after I was on board then still refused but basically got told I’d be asked to leave the flight if I didn’t take it off or cover it up.
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