Mother of two Karen Darley has requested Virgin Australia refund her money after refusing to let her family board the plane to Townsville because her two-year old son had misplaced his shoes.

Although wearing socks, the woman was advised to find the son’s shoes before boarding out of safety reasons, Herald Sun reported.

"He was wearing socks but I was told thongs would be more suitable," she told the newspaper.

Arriving in Brisbane from Canada, the family was heading to their home-town Townsville when she was told wearing shoes was a requirement of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority.

The airline finally agreed to let her board after the plane had taken off and a pair of shoes were found in lost property.

Although advised she would not be charged anything extra for re-booking, Ms Darley said she was asked to pay an extra $800 for the next flight on top of the $406.50 for the previous service.