diff --git a/autoload/airline/extensions/whitespace.vim b/autoload/airline/extensions/whitespace.vim
index f987ec08..60fd3d3d 100644
--- a/autoload/airline/extensions/whitespace.vim
+++ b/autoload/airline/extensions/whitespace.vim
@@ -15,11 +15,26 @@ let s:default_checks = ['indent', 'trailing']
 
 let s:trailing_format = get(g:, 'airline#extensions#whitespace#trailing_format', 'trailing[%s]')
 let s:mixed_indent_format = get(g:, 'airline#extensions#whitespace#mixed_indent_format', 'mixed-indent[%s]')
+let s:indent_algo = get(g:, 'airline#extensions#whitespace#mixed_indent_algo', 0)
 
 let s:max_lines = get(g:, 'airline#extensions#whitespace#max_lines', 20000)
 
 let s:enabled = 1
 
+function! s:check_mixed_indent()
+  if s:indent_algo == 0
+    return search('\v(^\t+ +)|(^ +\t+)', 'nw')
+  else
+    " [<tab>]<space><tab>
+    " spaces before or between tabs are not allowed
+    let t_s_t = '(^\t* +\t\s*\S)'
+    " <tab>(<space> x count)
+    " count of spaces at the end of tabs should be less then tabstop value
+    let t_l_s = '(^\t+ {' . &ts . ',}' . '\S)'
+    return search('\v' . t_s_t . '|' . t_l_s, 'nw')
+  endif
+endfunction
+
 function! airline#extensions#whitespace#check()
   if &readonly || !&modifiable || !s:enabled || line('$') > s:max_lines
     return ''
@@ -36,13 +51,7 @@ function! airline#extensions#whitespace#check()
 
     let mixed = 0
     if index(checks, 'indent') > -1
-      " [<tab>]<space><tab>
-      " Spaces before or between tabs are not allowed
-      let t_s_t = '(^\t* +\t\s*\S)'
-      " <tab>(<space> x count)
-      " Count of spaces at the end of tabs should be less then tabstop value
-      let t_l_s = '(^\t+ {' . &ts . ',}' . '\S)'
-      let mixed = search('\v' . t_s_t . '|' . t_l_s, 'nw')
+      let mixed = s:check_mixed_indent()
     endif
 
     if trailing != 0 || mixed != 0
diff --git a/doc/airline.txt b/doc/airline.txt
index 5a7df84d..81342393 100644
--- a/doc/airline.txt
+++ b/doc/airline.txt
@@ -289,7 +289,7 @@ tagbar <https://github.com/majutsushi/tagbar>
   let g:airline#extensions#tagbar#enabled = 1
 <
 * change how tags are displayed (:help tagbar-statusline) >
-  let g:airline#extensions#tagbar#flags = ''  "default
+  let g:airline#extensions#tagbar#flags = ''  (default)
   let g:airline#extensions#tagbar#flags = 'f'
   let g:airline#extensions#tagbar#flags = 's'
   let g:airline#extensions#tagbar#flags = 'p'
@@ -349,6 +349,14 @@ eclim <https://eclim.org>
 * enable/disable detection of whitespace errors. >
   let g:airline#extensions#whitespace#enabled = 1
 <
+* customize the type of mixed indent checking to perform. >
+  " must be all spaces or all tabs before the first non-whitespace character
+  let g:airline#extensions#whitespace#mixed_indent_algo = 0 (default)
+
+  " certain number of spaces are allowed after tabs, but not in between
+  " this algorithm works well for /** */ style comments in a tab-indented file
+  let g:airline#extensions#whitespace#mixed_indent_algo = 1
+<
 * customize the whitespace symbol. >
   let g:airline#extensions#whitespace#symbol = '!'
 <