“Gucci Gate” Roils Flight Attendants At American Airlines

Flight attendants in red union t-shirts were declared a security threat at American Airlines’ corporate headquarters in Dallas after showing up with a message they wanted to hand-deliver to CEO Robert Isom. American Airlines has now apologized, but the damage has been done: I call the incident “Gucci Gate.”

“Gucci Gate” At American Airlines Is All About Optics

Yesterday, flight attendants showed up at AA’s Skyview campus in Fort Worth to deliver a letter of “no confidence” to Isom. Flight attendants are seeking a raise of up to 50% after going years without a new contract.

But security at American Airlines was urged to “BOLO” (Be On The Lookout) for anyone wearing a red union t-shirt (yes, this one).

Aviation insider JonNYC sent me the following tweets yesterday evening:

Result: pic.twitter.com/MUE8oAePdL

— 🇺🇦 JonNYC 🇺🇦 (@xJonNYC) October 12, 2023

American Airlines has since apologized, stating that the BOLO message was “unauthorized” and had been “rescinded.”

pic.twitter.com/KVWdu0iMxL

— JonNYC (@xJonNYC) October 13, 2023

I wonder who micromanages security messages?

This is all optics. It was optics for the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) to show up to HQ and deliver a note to the CEO. To what end? Do you really think telling your boss you have no confidence in him is going to get him to give you what you want?

AA’s “apology” was optics as well. Telling security guards to be on the lookout for a motley crew of flight attendants is not a good look. Of course, had that memo not leaked there would be no apology today.

But optics are one way this world goes round.

I’m calling this whole situation “Gucci-Gate” because, eventually, the flight attendants did deliver their note to Senior Vice President Brady Byrnes, who was wearing a snazzy pair of Gucci sneakers.

Those shoes, of the lack thereof, are now a symbol of solidarity:

W A R pic.twitter.com/iESjR1ULP9

— JonNYC (@xJonNYC) October 13, 2023

Byrnes, for what is worth, is a former flight attendant.

CONCLUSION

American Airlines campus security was alerted to be on the lookout for flight attendants in red shirts, a move AA has now apologized for. While this incident does not make American look particularly good, I also do not see how using nice shoes as a rallying cry for unfair wage disparity is going to secure a new contract.