Models in red Virgin Atlantic flight attendant uniform dresses. Photo: Virgin Atlantic.
“Allowing people to express their true selves in the workplace is empowering them to express their best values in the workplace,” said another.
Virgin Atlantic allows employees to wear whatever uniform they feel is appropriate, in which male flight attendants can wear work dresses.
In a bid to become “the most comprehensive airline in the sky”, Britain’s Virgin Atlantic on September 28 announced an update to its uniform policy to enhance individuality.
Employees are free to choose uniforms without being influenced by “gender identity or gender expression.”
In the video announcing the decision on YouTube, there is an image of a male hostess wearing a red dress and a female employee wearing a suit and tie.
Employees can also wear a nameplate with the name they want to be called.
Virgin Atlantic also updated its “transgender inclusion policy,” giving employees leave for transgender-related medical treatment and giving them the freedom to choose locker rooms and bathrooms.
“This policy is very important to me,” said Jaime Forsstroem, a Virgin Atlantic flight attendant.
“As a gender non-dualist (who assumes they’re not entirely male or female), I can be myself and have the right to choose uniforms in the workplace.”
However, Virgin Atlantic’s move sparked a wave of controversy, with many hailing it as a progressive policy, but some critics calling it a “bad move”.
“I bet the majority of Virgin Atlantic employees would rather get a raise than update such a policy,” one commenter said.
- Virgin Atlantic
The first flight from Gatwick Airport to Newark International Airport took place on June 22, 1984.
Shortly after changing its name to Virgin Atlantic Airways, Fields sold his stake in the company following disagreements with Richard Branson over the management of the company.
The airline was founded in 1984 as British Atlantic Airways, and was originally planned by co-founders Randolph Fields and Alan Hellary to fly between London and the Falkland Islands.
Virgin Atlantic, trading name of Virgin Atlantic Airways Limited and Virgin Atlantic International Limited, is a British airline with its headquarters in Crawley, England.
