This is the Clever Way in Which Delta Air Lines Screens Out Potential New Flight Attendants Who Can’t Follow its Exacting Standards

Last year, Delta Air Lines made international headlines when a leaked memo sent to aspiring flight attendants went viral because it reminded candidates that they must wear proper underwear to their face-to-face interviews.

The detailed two-page document accompanied invitations to participate in Delta’s vigorous in-person selection process, and it turns out that these guidelines are one of the very first tests that could see candidates eliminated before they even get a chance to sit down.

You see, these aren’t merely polite guidelines but ‘appearance requirements’ that candidates must acknowledge that they have read, understood, and will follow to the letter. There’s no room to interpret the rules to suit your needs, just like aviation safety rules.

Unfortunately, there are still plenty of hopeful flight attendants falling foul of this test, and they’re being sent packing within minutes of getting to Delta’s World Headquarters in Atlanta.

Some of these candidates have shared their unlucky experiences on the popular social media site Reddit, either looking for advice as to why they were rejected so fast or to serve as a warning to other hopefuls who might consider bending the rules.

In one case, a rejected candidate shared that she had worn small, discreet hoop earrings during her face-to-face interview. Delta’s appearance guidelines state that hoop earrings are prohibited, but the interviewee assumed that the guidelines only referred to large hoop earrings.

Before she had a chance to participate in any exercises, she was led away by one of the recruiters and told she wouldn’t proceed. Although Delta refused to provide a specific reason, the recruiter said it was down to her appearance.

In another example, a rejected candidate shared a photo of her wearing a smart black skirt suit with a white blouse. She looked professional and put together, but the skirt sat a couple of millimeters above her knee.

Delta’s appearance requirements state that skirts must sit on or below the knee.

Again, she was led out of the recruitment event with a few other candidates who had failed to read the guidelines in the exact way they were intended. The rejected flight attendant lamented the fact that some candidates were able to wear sneakers and open-neck polo shirts without being rejected.

The thing is, this test isn’t about how professional or smart a candidate looks but whether they have read the rules correctly and are willing and able to abide by them.

It’s no secret that Delta has probably the toughest flight attendant recruitment process of any US-based airline, and after hiring some less suitable crew members as the world recovered from the pandemic, Delta is back to being stricter than ever with who joins its ranks.

There’s undoubtedly an unwritten dress code of sorts when it comes to flight attendant recruitment, with female candidates often encouraged to wear black skirts, jackets, and a white blouse.

Hair should generally be worn up in a tidy and well-groomed bun, with nails clean, neat, and manicured… but just like at Delta, with no glitter, neon shades, or nail art. Wearing a wristwatch is essential.

The temptation, of course, is that when you know you’re going to be in a sea of people all vying for the same job, you attempt to stand out from the crowd to make the recruiter ‘notice’ you. This, however, isn’t how most airlines really want their crew to appear in uniform.