In a recent change to Delta’s famously strict uniform and grooming rules, flight attendants at the carrier are now permitted to wear AirPods or similar earbuds in full view of passengers as they strut through the airport concourse.
The change in policy was communicated to Delta’s non-unionized flight attendants by an internal Employee Interest Group (EIG), which represents and advocates on behalf of crew members at the Atlanta-based airline.
For some time, flight attendants have been allowed to wear AirPods while they are commuting to work in uniform – whether that be on a plane, train, or bus – but once they got to the airport, they were expected to remove their earbuds immediately.
In a recent update, however, the EIG committee told flight attendants: “To complement our existing policy of earbuds being permitted for use while commuting to/from work, a single wireless earbud may be used while in the airport.”
Flight attendants have, however, been warned not to use their earbuds to “walk and talk.”
“The earbud should promptly be removed and disengaged when approached by a customer or colleague,” the memo continued. “It is important to be mindful of your surroundings, remain available while in uniform, and always be welcoming to our customers and other employees.”
As you can probably tell from this announcement, Delta still prohibits flight attendants from wearing wired earbuds or large headphones.
While Delta’s EIG committee has presented the change as a big win for the ‘direct’ relationship between flight attendants and management, the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA-CWA) has long been critical of the committee.
AFA is fighting to unionize Delta’s flight attendants, and the union has become increasingly optimistic that it will soon gain enough support to trigger a formal ballot.
Various improvements made by Delta to the terms and conditions of flight attendants have been linked to attempts to stave off the threat of unionization. In 2022, for example, the airline became the first major US carrier to introduce ‘boarding pay.’
Just as a brutal winter storm gripped large swathes of the United States, Delta also told flight attendants that they are now permitted to wear company-provided jackets and coats on the airport concourse.
In the past, flight attendants were expected to take off outerwear as soon as they got to the airport terminal and then carry their coats. Any outerwear must, however, be removed as soon as flight attendants reach the aircraft unless the door is open to the outside.
Where are you getting this information about coats? As a 40 year Delta flight attendant I can guarantee you we have NO restrictions on what when or where to wear outerwear. We can even wear our own NON uniform coat if we choose. We can wear coats on the plane for boarding as many do if the cabin is cold. We have NEVER been asked to remove our coats in the concourse.