Seven airlines whose female flight attendants wear trousers – unlike Cathay Pacific, where it’s skirts only
Across continents there are airlines that give female flight attendants the option of wearing trousers
It’s 2018 and gender identity and equality – particularly in the workplace – are top of the agenda. However, parts of the aviation industry are still clinging on to outdated regulations, with airlines still requiring crew members who identify as female to wear skirts.
Constricting and impractical in an emergency, skirts are a legacy of an era when airlines would market themselves based on the attractiveness of their staff. While many travellers shuffle through the gate and onto the plane in stretch pants, hoodies and trainers, airline staff must look smart and presentable at all times – even 10 hours into a flight at 10,000 metres (33,000 feet).
Last week, Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific was criticised by the leader of its 7,200-strong flight attendants union for its strict rules regarding make-up and its requirement that female attendants wear skirts.
“The stereotype of the flight attendant is very old-style already: looking pretty, full make-up and wearing a skirt. It is a good time to have a revamp of our image,” Vera Wu Yee-mei, chairwoman of the Cathay Pacific Flight Attendants Union, said.
Time to change air hostesses’ old-fashioned image, says Cathay Pacific union, backing end to ‘skirt-only’ rule in Hong Kong
It’s not as if the Cathay union is trying to start a revolution – airlines around the world already offer female flight attendants the option of wearing trousers. Here are seven among the many that allow their female cabin crew the choice.
