For many pilots and cabin crew, making time in their busy schedule to pick up their daily Starbucks order is a daily and essential ritual, but British Airways has just banned its aircrew from drinking coffee in public in a new uniform crackdown that is sure to raise eyebrows.
The latest instructions ban crew from consuming any form of drink apart from water in public and, even then, cabin crew have been instructed that they must try to drink it “discreetly.”
Other drinks like coffee and sodas can only be consumed when crew are seated in a designated restroom or cafeteria – an edict which could lead to serious lack of caffeination for sleep-deprived and jetlag-suffering pilots and flight attendants.
The drinking rules appear in a new set of appearance guidelines that cover everything from what shade of nail varnish and lipstick is approved to how crew are permitted to style their hair and even the types of eyeglasses they are allowed to wear.
British Airways has instructed its crew to “embrace” the new guidelines, with the new rules banning the consumption of coffee part of the airline’s program to make the company a better place to work.
It’s not, however, just the new drinking and eating rules that have caused an internal uproar.
Within the aviation industry, the term ‘commuting’ has a slightly different meaning from driving or taking a train to get to work. For pilots and flight attendants, commuting means flying from one city or country to another to get to work.
This is a fairly common practice, especially when you consider that major airline hubs are located in very expensive cities.
It’s not unusual to see aircrew commuting while wearing their uniform, but British Airways has decided that this practice is also forbidden due to rules from civil aviation regulators, which have been around for years.
Bizarrely, aircrew from other airlines who commute on British Airways will still be permitted to wear their uniforms.
The new guidelines come just a few months after British Airways banned cabin crew from taking photos at layover hotels, including popular locations ike the Maldives, Cape Town, and Singapore.
The ban is part of a social media clampdown, with British Airways claiming that terrorists and criminals could use AI to pinpoint the exact location where crew are staying and use this information to target them.
Even a selfie or short video in a nondescript hotel room is now strictly forbidden and could lead to a crew member being terminated, even if they only post the photo to a private account.
The airline had previously banned pilots and cabin crew from posting content of themselves in uniform on their social media accounts if they were “professionally engaged” in their job.
For example, photos taken on board a plane, checking in for a flight, or walking through an airport terminal could land crew members in serious trouble.
British Airways rolled out its latest uniform, designed by Savile Row tailor Ozwald Boateng, in late 2023. The uniform has proven controversial over some of the design choices, including a sheer blouse that left staffers feeling very exposed.
At one point, the airline even instructed cabin crew to wear white bras or t-shirts under see-through blouses and avoid wearing lacy or patterned underwear because the designs would be so visible under the garment.
British Airways was forced to retract the guidance following a backlash from the official cabin crew union.
The airline eventually conceded that the uniforms were “not quite hitting the mark” and promised a number of design changes, including a new blouse made out of a thicker material.
Matt’s Take – I’m really not sure what British Airways is trying to achieve with these guidelines
It’s no secret that the aviation industry has famously strict uniform and appearance guidelines, although many of these rules, especially in Europe and the United States, have been relaxed in recent years.
Thankfully, cabin crew in the West are no longer expected to attend regular weigh-ins, while makeup requirements are also far less stringent. In many cases, appearance guidelines have become gender neutral, and female crew members are no longer required to wear high heels.
You have to wonder then what British Airways is trying to achieve with these new rules. At this rate, they might as well go as far as Singapore Airlines and ban staffers from posting any photos in uniform while still employed by the carrier.
