A senior official at Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) says he ‘regrets’ telling flight attendants to wear undergarments in a now-viral internal memo that criticised cabin crew over their choice of clothing that was creating a “poor impression of the airline”.
PIA’s general manager of flight services Aamir Bashir now says he regrets his choice of words which seemingly suggested flight attendants were regularly going around with no underwear on.
Despite standing behind the spirit of the memo, Bashir admits that the memo “came out with an inappropriate selection of words”.
“I personally feel regretful and am fully convinced that the words could have been more civilised and appropriate in this context instead of words published, which, unfortunately, are being trolled and twisted towards the defamation of the company,” Bashir added.
Only days prior, Bashir had admonished flight attendants for dressing “casually” during layovers and when travelling to and from work.
“Such dressing leaves a poor impression on the viewer and portrays a negative image of not only the individual but also of the organisation,” the original memo continued.
Bashir suggested that flight attendants “dress properly” by wearing “proper undergarments”.
In 2019, another of Bashir’s memos made headlines when he ordered overweight flight attendants to lose up to 30 Lbs in just six months or face the threat of being grounded or even dismissed.
Later the same year, PIA ordered flight attendants to stop posting photos of themselves in uniform on social media. The order was made after flight attendants took photos of worn and damaged aircraft cabins and posted them on their socials.
PIA warned the flight attendants they could “damage the reputation” of the airline.
