The flight attendants in skirts and high heels, the flight attendants with ties and smart trousers – this is the image you are used to as a passenger. With the airline Virgin Atlantic, however, this could change in the future. The airline has announced that it has changed its policy regarding uniforms. This is intended to give crew members, pilots and ground staff “the opportunity to choose which of our uniforms best represents them,” according to a tweet.
Regardless of their biological gender or sexual identity, employees can decide which of the uniforms, designed by English fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, they want to wear. You can choose from outfits in red or burgundy. Theoretically, it is also possible for male flight attendants to work in skirts – a first for the big airlines.
Virgin Atlantic has been committed to promoting inclusion and individuality for some time. This also includes the fact that the airline of billionaire Richard Branson wants to offer both staff and passengers name tags on which they can indicate the pronouns with which they want to be addressed. When buying tickets online, it should also be possible in the future to go through the process in a gender-neutral manner.
“It’s so important that we allow our employees to embrace their individuality and show their true selves at work,” said Virgin Atlantic manager Juha Järvinen. “That’s why we want to enable our employees to wear the uniform that suits them best and ensure our customers are addressed with their preferred pronouns.”
On the occasion of International Flight Attendant Day on May 31, the airline had already announced that flight attendants were allowed to openly show their tattoos to passengers. Tattoos on the face and neck, among other things, remain prohibited. Virgin Atlantic lifted the make-up requirement for flight attendants three years ago.
Sources: Virgin Atlantic on Twitter / Virgin Atlantic
