Billie Joe Armstrong Kicked Off Southwest Flight Over Saggy Pants
"We reached out to apologize," Southwest Airlines said.
Sept. 4, 2011— -- Billie Joe Armstrong is known as much for his punk-rock appearance as he is for his Grammy Award winning lyrics.
But it was apparently that look that got the lead singer of the group Green Day booted off a Southwest Airlines flight from Oakland, Calif., to Burbank, Calif., Thursday night.
"Just got kicked off a Southwest flight because my pants sagged too low!" Armstrong tweeted. "What the f-? No joke!"
Cindy Qiu, an associate producer from "7 Live" on ABC station KGO-TV in San Francisco was on the plane with Armstrong when the incident happened.
"A flight attendant approaches him and says, 'Pull your pants up,'" Qiu said. "He says, 'Don't you have better thing to do than worry about that?' and then the flight attendant says again, 'Pull your pants up or you're getting off the plane.'"
On Saturday, Southwest spokesman Brad Hawkins released a statement saying that the airline and the pop star had settled their differences over the incident, KGO-TV reported.
"We reached out to apologize," the statement read. "We followed up ... and understand from the customer the situation was resolved to his satisfaction."
This isn't the first time an airline passenger's attire has caused problems.
In June, college football player Deshon Marman was arrested after being hauled off a US Airways flight when he refused to pull up his pajama bottoms.
"His underwear was covering his private areas, but his pants were below his shorts, so it was in full view of the traveling public," Sgt. Michael Rodriquez of the San Francisco Police Department said of Marman's appearance.
US Airways said that it was Marman's behavior that got him kicked from the flight and arrested.
US Airways spokesman Andrew Christie said at the time that the "passenger was removed and taken into custody after repeatedly ignoring crew members instructions."
Christie said that although the airline does not have a specific dress code, "we do ask our customers to dress in an appropriate manner to assure the safety and comfort of all passengers."
Marman claimed he was walking onto the plane when airline officals approached him.
"The pajama bottoms were loose and they didn't fit well," but that "only the top of my underwear was showing."
"I tried to pull it up, but I couldn't because I was carrying two big bags and I was in a line of people all moving fast toward the plane," he said.
Marman said he pulled up his pants when he got to his seat, but was arrested shortly after the pilot came out to talk to him.
The pilot asked him to deplane, after which Marman said officers appeared and arrested him as he left.