Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) has become the latest airline to update its employee appearance standards. While I’m sure some people won’t be a fan of this change, personally I’m all for letting people be comfortable and express themselves.
SAS updates employee appearance standards
As of July 1, 2024, SAS has updated its employee appearance standards, with the new policies applying to all frontline staff, including flight attendants. The most significant changes are that staff can now proudly display their tattoos and wear sneakers while in uniform.
The airline describes this change as part of a commitment to a modern, inclusive, and welcoming environment. The company shares the below pictures of some flight attendants taking advantage of the updated policies. Now, I’d assume that there are some limitations, and that sneakers have to be an appropriate color, and that tattoos can’t be offensive.
This is an area where we’ve seen several airlines liberalize their policies in recent years. Air New Zealand was one of the first global airlines to start allowing visible tattoos, which the airline justified by wanting to allow staff “to express individuality or cultural heritage.”
Since then, we’ve seen several other airlines follow Air New Zealand’s lead. In Europe, Virgin Atlantic made some sweeping changes in 2022, not just regarding tattoos and makeups, but also regarding the ability to express gender identity.
There are also plenty of airlines that allow sneakers nowadays, including full service airlines in Europe. For example, KLM similarly updated its policies several weeks ago.
I’m in favor of people expressing themselves
I commend SAS for making these updates, and giving employees the ability to express themselves.
While I don’t personally have any tattoos (and have no interest in getting any), I have no issues with people who do. I don’t think anyone should be prevented from getting a job, or should have to cover up, because of their tattoos (assuming they’re not offensive). At the end of the day, people are happier if they can express themselves, and this is an extension of that.
When it comes to sneakers, I’m also a fan of that change. Airline employees spend a lot of time on their feet, whether they’re flight attendants or ground agents, and they should be able to spend their time feeling comfortable.
I think it’s also important to acknowledge that these policies largely reflect the cultures of the home countries that airlines operate out of. For example, I don’t expect Japan Airlines or Qatar Airways or Singapore Airlines will start allowing flight attendants to have tattoos anytime soon, since that’s either frowned down upon in those societies, or the role of a flight attendant is still very much to “look the part.”
That’s not the case at most western airlines. If you go to Northern Europe, you’ll see a lot of tattoos, and flight attendants aren’t there to provide Singapore Airlines levels of service. So it’s fair enough that appearance standards also reflect that aspect of the culture.
Bottom line
Scandinavian Airlines is the latest airline to update its appearance standards for employees, including allowing visible tattoos, and also permitting sneakers to be worn. The airline is hardly the first to make such a policy change. I think this is a totally fair development, especially when you consider the culture in Northern Europe.
What do you make of these policy changes at SAS?
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