If you step onboard a United Airlines flight today, you’ll see flight attendants and pilots in new Brooks Brothers uniforms. Ground staff also have new gear. This marks the culmination of an eight-year project to update crew uniforms and also marks the realpolitik of a new presidential administration.
United Airlines Debuts New Uniforms Today
In 2017, United Airlines announced it would update its crew uniforms. In 2019, it debuted the new uniforms on a trial basis. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit and all plans to roll out new uniforms were placed on hold. In 2023, the testing resumed but the uniforms were redesigned based on negative flight attendant feedback. But at long last, the new uniforms debut today.
A memo from Kate Gebo, United’s Executive Vice President of Human Resources and Labor Relations, to employees states:
“What you wear helps you perform your job with confidence, ease and comfort. It’s been a team effort to get to this point — 70 uniform ambassadors, 2,000 wear testers, five million yards of fabric and seven million buttons. Now is the time to show off alongside high-quality service without compromising safety, inclusivity and comfort.”
Ramp employees began wearing new uniforms in 2020, but United’s 56,000 customer service representatives, flight attendants, and pilots will start wearing the uniforms now, with the only exception being those flight crew members who are returning from a longhaul international trip that began before today.
The new uniforms come just days after United reached a tentative deal with flight attendants on a new contract.
> Read More: At Long Last, United Airlines Reaches Tentative Labor Deal With Flight Attendants
https://www.tiktok.com/@whatislauren/video/7491734670783040799
No Flags, New Language Bars
As the USA faces an anti-woke backlash (whatever that means…), United has made the policy decision to eliminate flag pins–other than the US flag–on pilot and flight attendant unfiroms. Palestinian flag pins had stirred intense controversy, and while United initially backed flight attendants who chose to wear such pins, it has since decided to restrict the usage of flag pins on uniforms.
But with the uniform update will come new language-qualified pins. For example, flight attendants who can speak Spanish will wear a “Yo hablo Español” pin directly below their wings and name bar. These language bars will be less ambiguous than flag pins and clearly identify what language(s) flight attendants can speak beyond English.
> Read More: United Airlines Bans Flight Attendants From Wearing Flag Pins, Except For US Flag
> Read More: Flight Attendant Sparks Outrage Over Palestinian Flag Pin
CONCLUSION
Look for new uniforms on United pilots, flight attendants, and gate agents starting today. While United has not shared every variation of the new uniforms with the public, you can get a better idea of what to expect by watching United’s latest safety video:
What do you think of the new United uniforms?
The language flag pins will set off group of people who like red hats.
Sorry you can’t wear a Nazi flag anymore…..oh that’s right, it was just your way of telling passengers: Ich spreche Deutsch
I actually got this tip from a Red Hatter: If you’re calling customer service where outsourcing is common and they say “enter 2 for Spanish”, DO IT. You’ll likely get connected to either the Philippines or a USA call center and you can say that you accidentally hit 2 and they’ll likely speak pretty good English anyway and do a decent job.
If you hit 1? You’re likely to get connected to a place where their English is poor and competency even worse so. You’ll need to call back 3 times to get anything done (which suits them fine since they get paid by volume.)
You’re welcome!
getting rid of the flags is the biggest accomplishment.
many other airlines realized long ago that language bars are more appropriate than flags which don’t have a direct correlation w/ language spoken.
I’m surprised Kirby released that photo with such a diverse mix of employees. That’s certainly not going to make the boss happy if he sees it.
The models are all ugly. Some are fat.
Welcome to the United States! In the huge stretch of land separating Manhattan from Santa Monica there are a lot of fat people. The photos represent the reality of America. Having said that, it’s true that a few of the folks in the photos might be in trouble if they worked as cabin crew for Emirates or Singapore Airlines…
I don’t think a lot of those folks wouldn’t even make it through the first culling with the likes of SQ & EK “Stepford Wives”, although they might easily provide better & sincere service …
OK, is it just me, but doesn’t the person in the middle look like the outfit was a rejected Star Trek uniform?
I like the bright blue, but it’s not a great style choice for a man of his build. A slightly looser fit and a V-neck would be much more flattering on him.
I’m pretty sure Kirby has, probably correctly, figured out that the success of United, at least when dealing with regulatory hurdles under this administration, depends on paying just the right amount of fealty, without paying so much fealty as to get the airline labeled as “MAGA”.
Ed Bastien at Delta is choosing the path of malicious compliance and savvy avoidance instead. We won’t know until we’re past all this which approach worked best, but Kirby knows he’s gonna need DOC and DOT to sign off on his efforts to align with, then take over JetBlue and that’s only going to happen if he kisses the ring, at least a little.
you do realize that DL AND UA both reportedly contributed $1 million to Trump’s inauguration?
Given that the FAA just slashed EWR’s capacity but didn’t touch LGA or JFK, it is significantly detached from reality to think that UA is getting what it wants by paying up while other airlines are not.
There is NO evidence that UA is benefitting at all – in fact, the evidence is that Kirby’s incessant mouthing off is what acted the FAA and DOT to finally act on EWR’s overscheduling that goes back to 2016 when the FAA dropped slot controls because UA failed to use its slots to FAA requirements.
The pilots uniform is worse. Clear rank using yellow stripes look better.
If there is a language pin, there may be controversy, too.
Using google translate, I speak Chinese translates into People’s Republic of China Chinese as
我说中文 but Republic of China (Taiwan) Chinese as 我說中文 even though they are the same spoken language, Chinese being Mandarin. (Disclaimer: any errors, blame Google).
How about speaking Swiss German?
PRC uses simplified Chinese characters, ROC uses traditional. In the example you showed only one character is actually different. It should also be “我會說中文” (I can speak Chinese). Any Chinese speaker would recognize both.
கழிப்பறை எங்கே இருக்கிறது?
Are we still going to have to deal with sodomy/genital mutilation pins? What about the stupid AFA pins and lanyards complaining about one’s job? Let’s not forget BLM (racist domestic terrorist organization) pins – are they still in?
BLM? I think they’re all in prison for fraud and embezzlement now.
You arsehole pin is in the mail.
The truth hurts, Cam. It’s difficult to admit you were scammed, I know, but you were.
No, but they are adding a pin for being the product of incest, so that should make you feel more at home on United
I’m unsure what you mean by having to deal with it… if it triggers your sensitivities so much you can probably go to the lavatory, wrap your arms around yourself and cry out some of your feelings. Perhaps you could look into some form of comfort blanket or plush?
Couldn’t they get some good looking and fit people to model the uniforms? Just because large numbers of Americans are fat pigs doesn’t mean the models should be. The whole point of a model is that they’re better looking than most people. No one wants look at some dumpy, ugly, obese fashion model.
They were looking for someone for the extra chromosome model but they couldn’t find your mom’s basement to ask you
I’d rather see the uniforms modeled in their realistic environment, imperfect with warts. I find it less insulting than air brushed, ‘celebritized’ faux models feeding a dated superficial Hollywood ‘fly girl/guy’ fantasy… lol
I agree. They chose people worse than average.
Look at Matthew and his wife (only one photo that I recall). Both of them are not models but look better than all of the United models.
I would assume these are actual employees doing the modeling.
Meh… it looks like a tweak of American’s uniforms which were never anything special to start with. We have a great country with great people (notwithstanding our current challenges). Why can’t an American company like Brooks Brothers offer us some more upbeat and innovative image of ourselves than a retread of the same old AA look with a UA globe on the badge?
Kirby is a chameleon. This crossdressing racist said he was going to only hire 50 percent of pilots that are minority or female not too long ago.. forget about experience or merit. Scr3vv United and scr3vv Kirby.
The question is what did he really mean?
Not a single dude in a skirt – what’s up with that ?
I think they could have distinguished themselves a bit more with the new uniform. It’s a very safe choice.
The one good thing is that they went back to the shade of blue for the pilot uniforms and thin sleeve stripes that United had before that wretched merger with that pitiful regional airline. They actually look like United pilots.
Now, just need the Tulip and to dump that tumor on the tail.
In today’s climate, where far too many people insist on injecting politics into everything, this is the only sensible move. When you’re at work, cram your politics where the sun don’t shine. You’re there to serve customers. Period.
And the unifroms look great, excpet for the blue sweater, which looks cheap and tacky.