Gender Inclusive Uniforms Take Flight

Major airlines have begun altering their uniform policies for pilots and flight attendants, with many now allowing employees to choose between women's or men's uniforms regardless of their biological gender.

JetBlue, Alaska Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Canada’s WestJet, Iceland’s Play Airlines, British Airways and Delta have all made changes to their dress code policies in recent years.

JetBlue was among the first to make its uniform, hair and makeup policy gender-inclusive, according to a statement made by the airline in 2021.

https://twitter.com/JetBlue/status/1537419859218292737?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1537419859218292737%7Ctwgr%5E5d33ef27887591b00698944bd95a04af4b1ecd38%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fmedia%2Fmajor-airlines-ditching-gendered-uniforms-attempt-inclusive

"When our crewmembers are empowered to be their authentic selves at work, the benefits are clear," the airline tweeted. "In June 2021, we released a gender neutral crewmember uniform policy, a first for the airline industry. #PrideMonth"

A spokesperson told Fox News Digital the new uniform "offers crewmembers a combination of uniform pieces, rather than items based on binary gender terms."

"The ability to bring your true self to work and feel included is one of the many reasons crewmembers join JetBlue. JetBlue’s gender-inclusive uniform and hair and makeup policy offers crewmembers a combination of uniform pieces, rather than items based on binary gender terms," Derek Dombrowski, a general manager of Corporate Communications at Jet Blue said. "By adopting a consistent and inclusive program, JetBlue ensures that all crewmembers can feel represented."

Iceland’s Play Airlines also rolled out a gender-free line in 2021, allowing crew members to "pick whatever works for them from a varied selection of outfits."

"Forget running around in high heels - comfortable sneakers are the way to go. Instructions regarding hair, make up, tattoos and nail polish are gone," the airline said in a June 2021 announcement.

In 2022, Alaska Airlines started using pronoun badges and allowed flight crew to choose their uniforms regardless of gender.

"With these changes, fingernail polish, makeup, two earrings per ear, and a single stud nose piercing are expression options available to all employees," Alaska Airlines said in a statement. "We’ve also updated our grooming policies to allow tattoos in more locations, more hair style options and are adjusting the names of our uniform kits to be focused on fit vs. gender identifications."... (Read more)

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