Family barred from entering airport lounge over matching Minnie Mouse T-shirts

As we learned earlier this year, airlines can have some pretty strict dress codes.

But apparently, even airport lounges can oust passengers if they deem them to be dressed improperly.

One British family learned this the hard way when their entire clan was barred from entering a posh lounge at Manchester Airport because of their matching graphic T-shirts, according to the Manchester Evening News (M.E.N.).

Emma Raikes told M.E.N. that she was traveling to Disney World in Orlando, Florida, with her mother, her two-year-old niece and a few other family members for a "familymoon" on Monday morning.

Raikes says that her mother, Jane Walshaw, had shelled out £170 (nearly $220) extra for the group to be able to relax in the Aspire Lounge before their flight.

But when the group showed up at the lounge wearing customized matching Minnie Mouse T-shirts, Raikes says they were refused entry unless they agreed to go and change their clothing.

Raikes says her family, particularly her two-year-old niece, was very upset over the incident.

“We were extremely disappointed at the hassle we faced when trying to enter the lounge we had booked," she told M.E.N. “We are on a familymoon to Disney and did not think a Minnie Mouse t-shirt with our name on would be seen as offensive. It was a disappointing start to our holiday."

Raikers later took to Twitter to air her greivances against Aspire Lounge's dress code.

In response to Raikers' claims, Aspire Lounge's parent company Swissport released a statement apologizing for the incident and assuring customers that its employees would be "re-educated on the dress code."

“Our lounges do have a dress code in which we allow guests to wear a myriad of smart casual items and disallow other items such as tour shirts, sportswear and fancy dress. On this specific occasion, the member of staff who dealt with the family was wrong to have asked them to cover their personalised t-shirts and has misinterpreted the dress code, which is designed to ensure a comfortable atmosphere for all guests within our network of lounges."

“We sincerely apologise to the family for this genuine mistake and would encourage them to contact us directly to resolve this matter. The entire team at Manchester Aspire Lounge will be re-educated on the dress code to ensure this does not happen again."