Why You Can’t Compare Appearance Standards At Emirates With British Airways And Its Bizarre Coffee Ban

Last week, British Airways created yet another public relations nightmare for itself when new uniform and appearance guidelines for pilots and cabin crew insisted that grabbing a coffee from an airport concession was strictly forbidden, while only water could be consumed if done so ‘discreetly.’

In addition to laying out exactly what shades of lipstick or nail varnish crew are permitted to wear, British Airways also sought to bar cabin crew from wearing their uniforms while ‘commuting’ or ‘deadheading’ on one of its flights.

After a staff and union revolt, the airline quickly back-pedalled, suggesting that the guidelines had accidentally given the impression that eating and drinking in public had been banned, while insisting that flight crew shouldn’t be seen to sip coffee while walking through an airport.

While now partially withdrawn, the guidelines were likened to those that have been in place at many Middle Eastern and Asian airlines for many years, and in particular, Emirates.

While it’s true that Emirates arguably has much stricter appearance standards than what British Airways was trying to introduce, I thought it would be interesting to highlight why it’s difficult to compare the two carriers.

Emirates cabin crew don’t walk around their home hub

At Dubai International Airport, you’ll see plenty of employees wearing the instantly recognizable Emirates uniform, including the red hat and veil, but none of these workers are cabin crew… They are all ground staff and have access to staff rest areas to eat and drink.

Cabin crew at the airline start their working days at the Emirates HQ on the outskirts of Dubai Airport, where they can buy and consume food and drink from outlets like Costa Coffee. They are then driven in private vans right to the aircraft side, without setting foot in the main terminal building.

In contrast, British Airways cabin crew are constantly walking through the terminal to get to their gate or waiting for their next flight. In other words, they don’t have a private, dedicated space to eat or drink once they’ve started their working day.

Emirates crew don’t operate multiple flights in a day

One of the key times that you’ll likely see a crew member sipping from a coffee cup is when they are hustling from one gate to the next or during an extended ‘sit’ between flights.

In the US and Europe, it’s common for crew to work several shorter-range flights in a day, and they are expected to remain in the airport terminal, which doesn’t necessarily have a crew rest area close by.

The operation run by Emirates is slightly different and, as such, there aren’t Emirates crew members running around DXB trying to get food or drink ahead of their next flight.

Commuting doesn’t exist at Emirates

Middle Eastern airlines are famous for hiring cabin crew from around the world, and part of the reason they are able to do so easily is because of the very generous packages they offer crew.

Cabin crew at Emirates are provided free shared accommodation in Dubai and free transport on company shuttles to and from Dubai International Airport.

As a result, cabin crew at Emirates don’t need to catch public transport to get to the airport or commute by air. The issue of crew members wearing their uniforms in public just doesn’t exist on the same level as it does for other airlines.

You don’t think Emirates aren’t drinking coffee or eating in public?

As I’ve explained, just the circumstances of how Emirates runs its operation from its home hub mean that you won’t see cabin crew eating or drinking in public, but that’s not necessarily the case when in a foreign country.

When departing from an outstation, the crew’s arrival at the airport is carefully choreographed so that, in theory, they walk straight to the aircraft, but if the flight is delayed, don’t for one second think that even Emirates aren’t stopping off at Starbucks or another airport concession.

Maybe the appearance standard at Emirates shouldn’t be looked up to

As a privately run company based in Dubai, the labor laws that Emirates has to comply with are very different than those in the UK, Europe, or the United States. That means, Emirates is still allowed to order cabin crew to lose weight or face being terminated if they exceed strict BMI guidelines.

And just to be clear, these rules aren’t in place to ensure safety but rather just to preserve the airline’s brand image.