American Airlines unveils new ‘aviation blue’ uniforms that will be worn by 50,000 of its flight attendants and frontline staff
- Carrier has worked with its staff and union representatives to design the new uniforms, made by Lands’ End
- A group of 1,000 airline workers tested the new uniforms for six months before they went into production
- Staff were allowed to choose whether to have their new uniform in either a wool-blend or a synthetic fabric
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American Airlines has unveiled new uniforms that will be worn by 50,000 of its flight attendants and other frontline staff.
The carrier, the world’s biggest, has worked with its employees and union representatives to design the uniforms, which have been manufactured by US clothing retailer Lands’ End.
The collection is predominantly made up of garments in a new colour called ‘aviation blue’, while the new shirts and accessories are unique to each workgroup.
The new uniforms that have been unveiled by American Airlines, which will be worn by 50,000 of its frontline staff
To help create the new uniforms, American Airlines formed a ‘Frontline Uniform Advisory Team’, which made key decisions on the colour of the fabric and the collection design.
The carrier also enlisted more than 1,000 frontline employees to field test the uniforms for six months before they went into production.
After testing, the staff were asked to vote on design decisions and were surveyed to provide feedback.
Every garment in the new uniform collection has Standard 100 by Oeko-Tex certification, which means it has been tested for hazardous chemicals and has been deemed safe.
American says all parts of the garment, including sewing threads, buttons and zippers have been tested.
Meanwhile, for the first time, the airline has allowed its staff to choose the fabric of their uniform.
Employees were able to select either a wool-blend or a synthetic suiting fabric to ensure they feel comfortable wearing it.
In total, 1.7million separate pieces have been manufactured for the new uniform programme.
Brady Byrnes, managing director of flight service base operations, said: ‘When we set out to create our new uniform collection, the clear goal was to deliver an industry-leading program with the highest levels of safety, input and choice.
American Airlines enlisted more than 1,000 frontline employees to field test the collection for six months before it went into production
‘Monday’s launch is the culmination of years’ worth of input from team members, wear-testing in operation and the highest levels of garment certification.
‘None of this would be possible without the partnership of our union representatives, and, most importantly, the thousands of team members who provided input and feedback along the way.
‘This isn’t just a uniform for our team members, it’s one that was created by them, and we are excited to turn the page.’
While Joe Ferreri, the senior vice president of Lands’ End Business Outfitters, added: ‘We’re proud to partner with the world’s largest airline to deliver an innovative and first-of-its-kind uniform collection.
‘The team members at American have played a pivotal role in the creation of this collection, and it’s been an exciting journey to get us to today.’