+3 American Airlines Launches New Uniform for 50,000 Frontline Employees Following ‘Toxic Uniform’ Scandal
American Airlines Launches New Uniform for 50,000 Frontline Employees Following ‘Toxic Uniform’ Scandal
American Airlines Launches New Uniform for 50,000 Frontline Employees Following ‘Toxic Uniform’ Scandal
American Airlines Launches New Uniform for 50,000 Frontline Employees Following ‘Toxic Uniform’ Scandal
American Airlines Launches New Uniform for 50,000 Frontline Employees Following ‘Toxic Uniform’ Scandal
American Airlines Launches New Uniform for 50,000 Frontline Employees Following ‘Toxic Uniform’ Scandal
American Airlines has finally rolled out a new uniform for 50,000 frontline employees, including flight attendants, gate agents and premium customer service representatives. All employees swapped out their old ‘greys’ on the same day for the refreshed uniform in a color palette that’s been dubbed ‘Aviation Blue’ by the airline.
The new look follows the disastrous introduction of its previous uniform less than four years ago. Thousands of staffers complained of suffering severe allergic reactions to the 2016 uniform, including hives, rashes, headaches and other symptoms. In some cases, workers said they had suffered longterm ill-health effects from the garments.
In an attempt to avoid a similar drama, American has become the first airline to introduce an entire uniform collection that is STANDARD 100 certified by OEKO-TEX – an independent testing and certification system for clothing and accessories to make sure they’re not contaminated with hazardous chemicals.
American also decided to introduce a choice of suiting fabric for the first time, with employees given the option of either a wool-blend or synthetic fabric. A more expensive cotton option is also available but only on the recommendation of a physician.
“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,” explained Brady Byrnes, American’s Managing Director of Flight Service Base Operation.
“Today’s launch is the culmination of years’ worth of input from team members, wear testing in the operation and the highest levels of garment certification.”
Byrnes was at pains to point out that union representatives had a big say in the development of the new uniform, even choosing Lands’ End as the manufacturer of the collection, replacing Twin Hill.
Over 1,000 wear-testers were also involved in the development and before the airline started to send out replacement uniforms to its team.
Along with the new uniform comes a set of new grooming guidelines that frontline employees will be expected to adhere to. Later this year, a new signature dress will also be unveiled and made available for American’s workers.
