Alaska Airlines Adopting Gender Neutral Dress Code

Alaska Airlines will let employees decide whether to wear uniforms traditionally assigned to male or female under a new gender-neutral dress code.

Alaska Airlines Unveils Gender Neutral Dress Code

As Alasksa Airlines describes it:

Monique “Mo” wears her Alaska Airlines uniform with immense pride. She ties her tie, buttons her shirt, puts on her pants one leg at a time and steps into her dress shoes. It’s not common to see a female flight attendant wearing a male uniform, but it’s what Mo feels best in.  

This is what it means to care – to ensure everyone can bring their best and most authentic selves to work and to be an inclusive and welcoming environment for employees and guests alike. That’s the journey we’re on, and the future of Alaska Airlines.  

Monique, who is a flight attendant based in San Diego, added:

“I love who I am and refuse to make myself smaller in order to be accepted. This is one thing that I can’t compromise over. We all want to look professional, and we all want to be ourselves at the same time—your gender shouldn’t define what you wear or how you look.”

To effectuate this change, Alaska Airlines is designing new gender neutral uniforms, which will be available to all front-line employees, including:

• flight attendants
• customer service agents
• uniformed lounge employees

Other changes include the allowance, regardless of gender, of:

• fingernail polish
• makeup
• two earrings per ear
• single stud nose piercings
• tattoos in more locations
• more hair styles

Alaska will also introduce personal pronoun pins that employees will have the option to wear on their uniforms.

Alaska notes that more changes may be in the works:

This is an important step on a continued journey to be more inclusive, and there’s more work ahead. We will continue to look at our policies, programs and practices to ensure we live our values and create a place where everyone feels they belong. 

Earlier this year, United Airlines made similar changes to its own uniform policy.

> Read More: United Airlines Will Allow Piercings, Tattoos In New “Inclusive” Appearance Standards

CONCLUSION

Alaska Airlines plans a gender neutral uniform and will liberalize its policies concerning hair, makeup, nails, tattoos, and piercings. It will also offer flight attendants pins which identify their preferred pronouns. This is being done, per Alaska, to create a more “inclusive” environment for employees.

images: Alaska Airlines