Originally Posted by
serhito
Don't know if I am the recipient for this remark. I do wear this kind of looking shoes. Are they comfortable ? Yes. Professional looking ? Maybe not. It always makes me smile at the fashion police trying to establish that this is the way to be a professional pilot. Not a word about somebody who is up to date with current procedures, who has opened the books a little more often than 2 weeks prior to upgrade, or 2 days prior to a PC.
This kind of professionalism is what you owe your passenger, your family and yourself.
BTW, If I am indeed the recipient, either tell me my shoes don't look professional (when we fly) or don't even mention it on a public forum. That's also professionalism.
I am pretty sure they are out of dress code, which is in our manuals somewhere as well. Yes, studying your manuals is part of being a professional. It isn't either/or. As for being the fashion police, I think that is the cp's job. Not mine. I have flown with guys who don't shave or even bother to wear a tie. I think its a bad reflection on the company for sure but I don't run this place and its slack ass attitude toward customer service and appearance.
The only things I think I would ever say anything about would be bad personal hygiene, like smell, or safety issues. In fact the only guy i've ever called out was at my last airline. He didn't fancy washing his hair, which is fine with me until it got to the point where the flight deck door would close and I would literally start gagging. I had to tell him something.
I think unprofessional would be calling out someone by name. I didn't/wouldn't do that. Also, I don't know if it is you that i flew with (there have been more that one reebokers) or not but I did mention that it was a pleasure to fly with that guy and he was a great pilot. That is the meat for me. But this conversation started about public perception and how we earn our crappy reputation by how we act and dress in the public eye. They pretty much judge us by what they see. (an smell in the case of our disgusting lavs)
If we were a cargo operator or any other type of operator that didn't operate in front of paying passengers, i wouldn't care at all what was worn as it has no bearing on piloting whatsoever.