As of today, KLM employees, including pilots and flight attendants, can now wear sneakers as part of their official onboard uniform, including their preferred brand. It’s a rather unprofessional step from one of my favorite European carriers, but a sign of the times.
Sneakers Now An Approved Uniform Item For KLM Flight Attendants
Recognizing flight attendant requests for more comfort, as of today (May 6, 2024), KLM employees, including pilots, flight attendants, and other publicly-facing ground staff can now choose to wear sneakers onboard.
Here’s how KLM describes it:
Starting from May 6, our KLM colleagues are allowed to wear sneakers under their uniform. This means more comfort during work and a contribution to employee well-being. They can choose their own sneakers (which must meet certain requirements) or they can buy the specially developed KLM sneaker, designed by Filling Pieces.
By allowing sneakers, KLM is responding to the demand for more comfortable work shoes. Some colleagues who wear pumps would like an alternative. Wearing sneakers under a uniform is becoming more common among airlines and is in line with current times. A pilot we conducted in the past year showed that wearing sneakers contributes to employee well-being.
Let’s take a look at these sneakers:
Having flown KLM quite a bit, I realize its flight attendants and many members of its ground staff are very mature…and that is great. I’m not an ageist who thinks cabin crew can only be young, physically attractive, skinny, unmarried women. On the contrary, some of the best services I have ever experienced on a plane have been by wiser and more mature crews.
And it’s not that I am all that fashionable either…I tend to wear the same stuff over and over and while I quite love my shoes (a testament to the quality of Ferragamo), I have been wearing them for close to a decade now.
So what’s the problem? Purely personal taste, but I think it looks unprofessional…far too casual. And the fact that employees can wear their own preferred brand and style is somewhat shocking.
It is interesting to see sneakers make a comeback. My parents called casual shoes “sneakers” or “tennis shoes” when I was a kid (a soft shoe with a rubber sole worn for sports or casual occasions) and the idea was that these shoes were for sport…or casual occasions…not work.
It used to be you could always tell an American in Europe based upon whether s/he was wearing tennis shoes, but not anymore: sports shoes are hip.
CONCLUSION
KLM flight attendants, pilots, and other employees can now wear sneakers as an authorized uniform item.
Ultimately, I won’t let it bother me…better than hospital clogs I suppose…but I do view it as causal and not professional, especially when they will not necessarily match.
Do you care what kind of shoes your cabin crews wear?
I wholeheartedly support this change because the KLM lounge staff will now be better equipped to chase the mice away!
Ouch!
Stop calling it uniform then. Once you are wearing different things, it is no longer uniform. Why don’t just pick a brand and color that is approved and make it part of the uniform? I love AllBirds for example, the most comfortable sneakers I have had. Cut a deal with them and let them provide the sneakers to everyone.
Unsafe for the feet when heavy things begin falling upon them .
Right because the shoes they were wearing onboard were steel toed right? Get over it.
I wouldn’t worry about that. Other than in the galley pretty much the only heavy falling object would strike the head and/or shoulder of a passenger first which would significantly soften the blow.
My feeling is if you don’t like it don’t look. KLM provides one of the most superior experiences and it’s not about the shoes it’s about the people.
Don’t look at it? Now we are supposed to simply ignore FA’s uniforms or lack of? Does this include Free Palestine buttons? What’s next, FA’s scolding us for looking at their shoe choices?
Believe me, I would love to ignore the ugly clogs U.S. FA’s wear but they are stomping around so much like a headmistress it’s hard not to notice.
As to KLM FA’s, when did they become so incredible? They seem fairly average to me.
Cityhopper FAs have often/usually been very nice and cordial both when I was predominately flying SkyTeam (ca. 2004-2014) and on a recent flight (I now actively avoid KLM, predominantly due to disliking Schiphol).
My experiences with the mainline ones have been average at best.
I have to agree that KLM Cityhopper is a very pleasant experience overall. Never had a bad one. All FAs have a smile on their faces and do a great job.
Do people really look at the feet of their FAs?
The design would be better if the soles were black, not white.
Black lives matter so don’t throw away Black shoes.
The issue is that those sneakers are completely off and wrong for the uniforms they are wearing. The uniforms of, say ZIP, are more appropriate to sneakers. This is a horrible choice. The reality is that the blue signature FA uniforms would only work with white sneakers if you are going that route. But they will be scuffed quickly and not be proper over time unless well maintained.
The reality is that tasteful flats for ladies and comfortable loafers for men are just as comfortable and far more professional.
Suede blue ones wouldn’t look bad- I have these (or perhaps a very similar previous version of them) and they’re the only pair of trainers that I wear with any regularity. https://citadinshoes.com/collections/the-casual/products/aljezur
Possibly.
I don’t like the KLM branded shoes. The white sole ( likely will not always look clean) and has the appearance of cheap Vans. While the FA job has evolved, the focus should be on comfortable safe footwear. With an aging population, shoes that are able to accommodate arch supports and ortho insoles need to be considered.
This is unprofessional. Agree with others that allowing different options is only going to further cheapen the image and professionalism of the staff. Can’t say I’m surprised seeing this coming from a country like the Netherlands.
I’d buy a pair of those sneakers right now if they’re available!
Good sneakers (including with a white sole) are pretty common now even paired with a suit or tuxedo. At the last World Cup the fifa president wore them on stage. I think the flight attendants look good in them.
We’re yipping about their shoes. Perhaps this is why flight attendants hate us.
Not really. They just hate you, period.
I look at it if they feel comfortable they will be happier and nicer.
For KLM I’m surprised they didn’t go with clogs.
I agree with the comments regarding uniforms and consistency. If the KLM branded shoes were the only option, then maybe it wouldn’t look so bad. but even then it does seem to be a weird mishmash of styles.
The worst offenders on shoes though are US airlines……takes me back to CO days with the hideous uniform dress that was often paired with either crocs/clogs/or skechers slip-ons.
Wow, the ex-CON uniforms were the worst of all. Really bad, especially with the clogs. 100% agree.
I absolutely do NOT care what kind of shoes my flight staff wears. There are way, WAY better things to nitpick, imo
Come on people, it’s a pair shoes… let’s not get ourselves in a tizzy over shoes.
Most airline uniforms are bland, boring and basic (certainly true for US carriers – AA is the epitome of blah and United’s mix-and-match barely enables the pax to determine who is an FA). FAs are hard-working (for the most part) and on longer flights they trend more mature so comfort should be important. When passengers were allowed to travel in “comfortable” clothes that are no more than pajamas or tank tops standards collapsed.
It’s about time they allow sneakers. The rule requiring heels on departure is ridiculous. FAs do a huge number of steps a day – in airports and on airplanes. They should be in proper footwear, which includes sneakers.