Virgin Atlantic Relaxes Visible Tattoo Ban for Cabin Crew
As of May 31st, Virgin Atlantic has relaxed its position on members of their cabin crew sporting visible tattoos. They are the first airline in the UK and the first big international carrier to make this move. They made the announcement on their social media in celebration of International Flight Attendants Day: “Today we’re championing the dazzling collection of individuals who are our wonderful cabin crew. We’ve always encouraged our people to be themselves, so from today, they can now show their tattoos with pride.”
The announcement comes one month after the launch of the airline’s branding campaign “championing individuality”. It is certainly a wise move considering how airline companies are scrambling to fill positions within their respective fleets as travel demand surges.
There are still a few restrictions, however. Neck and face tattoos are currently still prohibited but that too may change down the line. Tattoos featuring nudity, violence, drugs, alcohol, cursing or anything deemed ‘culturally inappropriate’ will remain off limits.
This is not the first time that Virgin has led the aviation industry in providing a progressive workplace. In 2019 they were among the first airlines to get rid of a rule that forced female crew to wear makeup. At the same time, they relaxed another rule that forced female crew to wear skirts as opposed to pants while on duty.
It remains to be seen whether this new policy will help lure flight attendants over to Virgin Atlantic but thus far the feedback from Virgin crew members and the general public has been overwhelmingly positive.
