Family turned away from Manchester Airport lounge for wearing Minnie Mouse T-shirts

An entire family heading to a Disney holiday in Florida was turned away from a lounge in Manchester Airport for wearing Minnie Mouse t-shirts.

Emma Raikes was with her two-year-old niece Quinn, her mother and five other family members when they were denied entry at the Aspire Lounge in Terminal One on Monday (14 August) morning.

Jane Walshaw, Raikes' mother, had paid nearly £170 for entry to the exclusive lounge, something they had used on previous trips, according to the Manchester Evening News. Raikes said they were initially turned away because of their personalized Minnie Mouse shirts.

The family was only allowed to enter when they agreed to wear jumpers.

"We were extremely disappointed at the hassle we faced when trying to enter the lounge we had booked," the 33-year-old told the MEN. "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."

She added: "They eventually let us in, but only if we put jumpers on. We were boiling and the lady on the desk wasn't even nice about it."

Swissport, which owns and operates the lounge, issued an apology for the incident.

"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," a spokesman said.

"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."

The company spokesman said lounge employees at Manchester Airport will be "re-educated on the dress code".

"We sincerely apologise to the family for this genuine mistake and would encourage them to contact us directly to resolve this matter," he said.