A Maryland man said a United Airlines gate agent at a Virginia airport refused to allow him into the first-class cabin because he was wearing a track suit.

Armando Alvarez, a corporate vice president with Best Buy, said he used his United miles to upgrade to first class for his Oct. 26 flight from Dulles International Airport to Connecticut to visit the company's headquarters but the gate agent refused to let him enter the cabin, WTTG-TV, Washington, reported Thursday.