Australian media figure says Qantas staff told her to button up in Brisbane lounge

An Australian media personality says she was told to button up her cardigan in a Qantas lounge in Brisbane because her outfit was deemed too revealing. Nikki Osborne, 44, a Nova 106.9 Brisbane breakfast presenter and comedian, described the moment in her QWeekend column, saying a lounge staff member confronted her while she was on a work trip to the Whitsundays.

Osborne said she wore tailored white shorts, a pink bodysuit and a knitted white cardigan when the encounter occurred. According to her account, a lounge employee approached, grabbed her arm and said, 'Firstly, I am a long-time fan of yours, but I will need you to button your cardigan up to cover yourself to protect the other cultures in the lounge.' She wrote that the remark left her feeling humiliated and degraded, especially since it happened in her hometown and in front of a male colleague.

She said the incident made a deep impact on her because she has always made a point of dressing well and being taken seriously in her profession. 'To have a woman suggest that my choice of dress is inappropriate really hit hard,' she wrote, adding that she had covered the top of the bodysuit but that was not enough, according to her account.

After she discussed the incident on her breakfast show, Osborne said she was stunned by the press coverage and the online backlash. She was particularly angered by comments urging that she be kept out of the lounge. 'I read the comments and so many people, without knowledge of what I was wearing, were lumping on about keeping trash out of the lounge. I am trash now? How did this happen?!' she wrote.

Osborne said the airline later reached out with assurances the incident would not happen again, but a follow-up phone call left her feeling scrutinised as staff allegedly went through her outfit item by item.

Yet, she credited a later interaction with a flight attendant who greeted her warmly and treated her with respect throughout the journey. 'That air steward salvaged my week,' she said, noting the positive engagement helped restore some trust in the airline.

Qantas's dress guidelines on its lounge pages say entry can be refused for clothing that is too casual or inappropriate. The list includes thong-style footwear, bare feet, head-to-toe gym wear, beachwear, sleepwear, clothing with offensive images or slogans and revealing, unclean or torn clothing. The airline adds that the guidelines are meant to create an environment everyone can enjoy and asks travelers to be mindful of clothing and footwear when visiting Qantas Clubs and Business Lounges in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.

Osborne said she would continue flying Qantas but would 'think twice about what I wear in the lounge' and adjust future outfits accordingly.

Daily Mail published the report and said it had approached Qantas for comment. The airline's response was not immediately available in the publication, and the Daily Mail noted that it had sought comment from Qantas in relation to the piece.