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This is how the Swiss crew presents itself on its website
Photo: Swiss International Air Lines Ltd.
The airline Swiss is saying goodbye to strict gender-specific rules for the appearance of its flight attendants.
As the portal “luzernerzeitung.ch” reports, the Swiss Lufthansa subsidiary is adjusting the cabin crew rules. In the future, visible piercings on the face will be allowed and lipstick will no longer be mandatory for women.
What is allowed now?
The following new regulations also apply, for example:
Tights can be opaque. Medical tights (for example against thrombosis) are also permitted.
Legs no longer need to be shaved.
Flight attendants of both genders are allowed to wear makeup and nail polish.
Piercings are permitted and may be visible.
Tattoos are permitted as long as they do not contain offensive content and are not on the face or hands.
Female crew members are also allowed to wear ties.
Lace-up shoes are permitted, even when wearing skirts.
According to "luzernerzeitung.ch", the trigger for the innovation was, among other things, an article by the Kapers staff association in the Swiss member magazine with the title "Geisha of the skies - uniform and sexism". In this he questioned the demands and regulations on the cabin crew.
Rules vary between airlines
Depending on the airline, there are various rules on board aircraft when it comes to gender roles and styling. But Swiss is not the only airline that is relaxing the styling rules for its crew.
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Regardless of gender: All British Airways crew members will now be allowed to wear nail polish and make-up
A few years ago, the airline Air Baltic allowed people to have tattoos or an individual haircut. At the airline Virgin Atlantic, the rules were relaxed so much that gender-specific uniforms for flight attendants were abolished - men are also allowed to wear skirts.
The Belgian Lufthansa subsidiary Brussels has recently partially allowed visible tattoos. Makeup and nail polish are optional. However, according to “Aerotelegraph.com”, no changes to the guidelines are planned for the group’s parent brand Lufthansa. And the Austrian Austrian expects a “professional appearance,” which includes, among other things, “appropriate make-up” for women and “a well-groomed beard” for men.
The new regulations are apparently intended not only to reduce criticism of sexism, but also to simplify the search for personnel. The airline is looking for new employees.
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