Virgin America passenger checks in for flight in her undies

A photograph of the woman was posted on Reddit, where it quickly went viral. Photo / Reddit, deftones1

A young woman checking into a Virgin America flight brought a whole new meaning to the phrase 'travelling light' when she turned up with just a pair of underpants on her lower half.

The blonde passenger shocked those queuing behind her at the check-in desk after brazenly speaking to a member of staff with her bottom exposed.

A picture has since surfaced of the woman online, racking up more than 90,000 views in under 24 hours.

Oblivious to the shock of the people in the queue behind her, the otherwise smartly-attired lady, who is wearing a beige blazer and a pair of black ballet pumps, leans against the counter as the member of staff in front of her makes a phone call.

The picture, which was uploaded to Reddit by user Deftones1 with the caption: 'Meanwhile at the airport', attracted plenty of confused comments.

One person questioned whether the air conditioning had broken down at the airport, because the Virgin America employee also appeared to be suffering from the heat with two electric fans directed at her face.

A Virgin America spokesperson told MailOnline Travel: "We're the only airline based in California - and we're known for doing things differently as an airline and for being a bit cheeky ourselves, so we welcome all travelers.

"With custom-designed, mood-lit cabins and touch-screen entertainment and WiFi at every seat on every flight, we encourage our guests to kick back and relax when they fly us -- our guest clearly took that message to heart."