Why do aircrew look so scruffy?
Discussion
El stovey said:
Most passengers don’t care about safety, they book on price. If they see pilots and crew with the most rubbish and most scruffy uniforms, they’ll know that’s why their ticket was so cheap.
They should be reassured when they see scruffy crews, that O’Leary or whoever has definitely passed on the savings to the customer. Their aircraft might even be faster as it’s carrying the absolute minimum amounts of fuel and has the minimum legal amounts and values of everything on board.
Exactly. Airline travel isn't the preserve of " the beautiful people" anymore.They should be reassured when they see scruffy crews, that O’Leary or whoever has definitely passed on the savings to the customer. Their aircraft might even be faster as it’s carrying the absolute minimum amounts of fuel and has the minimum legal amounts and values of everything on board.
Europa1 said:
The problem is that, in the absence of any other knowledge, first impressions count, so if an air traveller sees flight crew looking scruffy, it may lead them to form an impression on how they undertake their duties.
It's the same on the engineering side. I was told once by a British Caledonian rep that the passengers don't care if the engine has been serviced well, or the flaps are rigged correctly, all they care about is that the 10 foot of fuselage each side of the steps is clean and shiny, and that the cabin is clean, tidy and free from greasy fingerprints. El stovey said:
Europa1 said:
Eric Mc said:
Image is far less important now than being competent and efficient at your job.
The problem is that, in the absence of any other knowledge, first impressions count, so if an air traveller sees flight crew looking scruffy, it may lead them to form an impression on how they undertake their duties.They should be reassured when they see scruffy crews, that O’Leary or whoever has definitely passed on the savings to the customer. Their aircraft might even be faster as it’s carrying the absolute minimum amounts of fuel and has the minimum legal amounts and values of everything on board.
I do also remember sitting in airport lounges seeing very smartly dressed crew, and have seen a change over the years.
A couple of things I believe play a role in this are,
Ultra low cost airlines like Ryanair making the pilots and cabin crew pay for the uniform. So a lot of the times they are in no hurry to replace it ...and you can see some of them in rather tatty shirts, jackets and especially high vis jackets.
At the end of a 12 hour day it's hard to look good and these days aircrew are flying a lot more than 20 years ago and often working a minimum rest.
Legacy carriers will provide the uniform and will either replace damaged/worn uniform, or they provide an annual allowance to keep you looking sharp.
A couple of things I believe play a role in this are,
Ultra low cost airlines like Ryanair making the pilots and cabin crew pay for the uniform. So a lot of the times they are in no hurry to replace it ...and you can see some of them in rather tatty shirts, jackets and especially high vis jackets.
At the end of a 12 hour day it's hard to look good and these days aircrew are flying a lot more than 20 years ago and often working a minimum rest.
Legacy carriers will provide the uniform and will either replace damaged/worn uniform, or they provide an annual allowance to keep you looking sharp.
A lot of British pilots are overweight these days and no matter how good the uniform is they will still look unprofessional compared to, for example, the tall and slender Dutch pilots at KLM.
In my experience you’re fighting a losing battle against badly cut, poor fitting, low quality junk. It’s often easier just to not care. That being said, our current outfit is an Italian suit and providing you’re not a fatty it looks very sharp indeed.
In my experience you’re fighting a losing battle against badly cut, poor fitting, low quality junk. It’s often easier just to not care. That being said, our current outfit is an Italian suit and providing you’re not a fatty it looks very sharp indeed.
So said:
Eric Mc said:
Exactly. Airline travel isn't the preserve of " the beautiful people" anymore.
Which I am sure has made travel a lot easier for you.If you think civvie aircrew look rough try RAF gods of thunder.
The jolliest of japes used to be rocking up (a bit late) for an Army exercise in our big green helicopter and then justifying the delay to the pongoes by saying we had to turn back as two of us were dressed the same.
RAF aircrew clothing was such a vast collection it was quite easy for a four-man Chinny crew to all be dressed uniquely whilst still staying within the regs.
Footwear was the usual thing....
Flying boots
Cold weather flying boots
Hot weather flying boots
Arctic flying boots
Standard issue boots
Special order boots bought at Cotswolds.
Flip flops
Might've made the last one up.
eccles said:
Europa1 said:
The problem is that, in the absence of any other knowledge, first impressions count, so if an air traveller sees flight crew looking scruffy, it may lead them to form an impression on how they undertake their duties.
It's the same on the engineering side. I was told once by a British Caledonian rep that the passengers don't care if the engine has been serviced well, or the flaps are rigged correctly, all they care about is that the 10 foot of fuselage each side of the steps is clean and shiny, and that the cabin is clean, tidy and free from greasy fingerprints. Flying in Western countries has not been glamorous since about the 1960s!
Mass-tourism and a race to the bottom on pricing have put paid to glamour.
There's nothing glamorous about having to pay for your own flight training or being jammed into a tiny seat next to a fat man with BO.
You can still find countries where flying has some glamour left, in Asia, such as Vietnam.
Mass-tourism and a race to the bottom on pricing have put paid to glamour.
There's nothing glamorous about having to pay for your own flight training or being jammed into a tiny seat next to a fat man with BO.
You can still find countries where flying has some glamour left, in Asia, such as Vietnam.
Newc said:
It's striking that the airline management still think that it's important for the staff to be seen wearing ties 'to look more professional', even as their most profitable customers have pretty much thrown all their ties away.
Yes, but the airline still has to impress the customers, not the other way around.Marcellus said:
In days gone by Airlines used to have a "look book" which was about an inch thick and in it everything was exactly detailed as to how every employee was supposed to look in uniform
They still do. Low cost carriers have a ‘uniform standards’ manual, just as legacy ones probably do. The difference between smartness and scruffiness is whether anyone in a position of responsibility gives a f
k and tells someone they look like a bag of st.Crossflow Kid said:
Newc said:
It's striking that the airline management still think that it's important for the staff to be seen wearing ties 'to look more professional', even as their most profitable customers have pretty much thrown all their ties away.
Yes, but the airline still has to impress the customers, not the other way around.
And most company staff dress differently, smarten up for important client meeting. Ties go on.hyphen said:
Crossflow Kid said:
Newc said:
It's striking that the airline management still think that it's important for the staff to be seen wearing ties 'to look more professional', even as their most profitable customers have pretty much thrown all their ties away.
Yes, but the airline still has to impress the customers, not the other way around. And most company staff dress differently, smarten up for important client meeting. Ties go on.I'm reminded of a fellow Waltham Yak driver who flies for a well known UK airline (there are quite a few - you can generally tell when they've been working too hard because they generally start their radio check with "Spudbud...ahhhh.....Golf Yankee....etc etc)
Anyway, Gary - the names have been changed to protect the guilty - transferred to the 777 fleet a few years ago, and having finished the conversion course found that the training captain on his initial line check was going to be the notorious Captain Shiny Shoes, who had a particular fixation with the state of the crew footwear. Captain Shiny Shoes also, apparently, used to run regular fire drills in his family home, sounding a claxon at 3am and standing outside with a clipboard noting the time it took his wife and kids to join him in the garden...which, actually, isn't a completely mad idea if you had the gumption to do it....but on a monthly basis is probably a bit much.
So, Gary flies his first sector - a US trip - as handling pilot duly observed by Captain Shiny Shoes and despite a bit ATC jiggery-pokery on arrival makes a good job of it, so off to the hotel the crew go, and finally Gary sits down at dinner with the training captain for a debrief.
Following a thorough, but succinct, debrief of the sector Captain Shiny Shoes then finishes with..."well, that was all fine....but Gary, I really have to talk to you about your shoes"....and then launches into a detailed critique of the state of Gary's uniform shoes, and how they could have been better polished, and how important it is that flight deck crew maintain the highest standards of footwear, and how the shininess of shoes is a public display of how polished Spudbud Airlines are as a whole. etc etc...etc. Gary takes it on the chin, acknowledges his sub-optimal footwear performance, and promises to do better.
Scroll forward to the departure for the return leg, and almost all of the crew are assembled in the hotel foyer waiting for the bus, bang on time minus 5 minutes - because Captain Shiny Shoes - except Gary.....who then appears descending the staircase carrying off a full-on Fred Astair groove on the way down - with a little tapdance on the way - wearing the most impossibly dazzling mirror-shine black patent leather dance shoes that the US city in question had to offer.
Cue the rest of the crew absolutely wetting themselves, and even Captain Shiny Shoes having to break into a grin.
Anyway, Gary - the names have been changed to protect the guilty - transferred to the 777 fleet a few years ago, and having finished the conversion course found that the training captain on his initial line check was going to be the notorious Captain Shiny Shoes, who had a particular fixation with the state of the crew footwear. Captain Shiny Shoes also, apparently, used to run regular fire drills in his family home, sounding a claxon at 3am and standing outside with a clipboard noting the time it took his wife and kids to join him in the garden...which, actually, isn't a completely mad idea if you had the gumption to do it....but on a monthly basis is probably a bit much.
So, Gary flies his first sector - a US trip - as handling pilot duly observed by Captain Shiny Shoes and despite a bit ATC jiggery-pokery on arrival makes a good job of it, so off to the hotel the crew go, and finally Gary sits down at dinner with the training captain for a debrief.
Following a thorough, but succinct, debrief of the sector Captain Shiny Shoes then finishes with..."well, that was all fine....but Gary, I really have to talk to you about your shoes"....and then launches into a detailed critique of the state of Gary's uniform shoes, and how they could have been better polished, and how important it is that flight deck crew maintain the highest standards of footwear, and how the shininess of shoes is a public display of how polished Spudbud Airlines are as a whole. etc etc...etc. Gary takes it on the chin, acknowledges his sub-optimal footwear performance, and promises to do better.
Scroll forward to the departure for the return leg, and almost all of the crew are assembled in the hotel foyer waiting for the bus, bang on time minus 5 minutes - because Captain Shiny Shoes - except Gary.....who then appears descending the staircase carrying off a full-on Fred Astair groove on the way down - with a little tapdance on the way - wearing the most impossibly dazzling mirror-shine black patent leather dance shoes that the US city in question had to offer.
Cue the rest of the crew absolutely wetting themselves, and even Captain Shiny Shoes having to break into a grin.
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