Originally Posted by BATOL

My $.02 on the uniform, and it's only that so take it for what it's worth.

The hats look very professional and command respect. I wear my hat and button my blazer and it's remarkable how differently you get treated by virtually everybody, from pax to gate agents to fellow pilots, yes even the double breasted set. I highly recommend getting and wearing a hat.

I have a sweater and I really like it. It can get a little warm on those long flights with the sun on your side or if you're also wearing your overcoat and trucking through the airport to catch a dead head or something. Also, while it isn't bad looking, it is not approved for mainline so it's basically the "regional sweater". Anymore I prefer the polished look of the blazer. Admittedly I will however wear the sweater occasionally of I'm just going in for ready reserve or a high speed or something and want to be a little more comfortable.

I personally feel the leather jackets are pretty tacky. We would not have them if they had not been grandfathered in from one of the legacy pilot groups. I don't mean to ruffle feathers as I know some guys really love them. I just think they are more Top Gun cowboy than professional airline pilot. They are not approved at Delta and as far as I'm aware the only places they are approved are Southwest, FedEx, and here. The black trench is much more standard and professional looking. It's plenty warm enough even without the lining. And the bomber jacket is really bulky and heavy. If your trip takes you to a warmer climate for a night or two and you want to stow it, it's a lot to cram into the suitcase and will ad a lot of weight to an already extremely heavy setup. The trench (specifically without the lining) is surprisingly easy to roll up or fold in thirds and fit in the suitcase. Yea you can pull the eppulettes off and wear it out on an overnight, but I'm not convinced that a black leather bomber jacket looks any less creeper than a black trench coat in 2016. Better bet is to throw in a puffer coat that packs down really small, than you can at least attempt to pass for a normal human being on an overnight 😎. Plus the bomber jackets are super expensive.

Some guys STILL wear their damn North Face performance fleece around in public view like through the terminal while in uniform. For the love of god please do not be that guy! Take some pride in your appearance and level of professionalism. If you want to know a good way to get noticed by management (whether they say anything to you or not), be the guy wearing the North Face fleece all the time. Similiarly, do not wear sunglasses or earphones while walking around the terminal in public view.

Lanyards are pretty tacky and sloppy as well. Especially special interest lanyards like sports teams, NRA, college, etc. I'm basically supportive of our union and I don't even like the idea of wearing the ALPA lanyard as there is still an agenda there (exception is the P2P volunteers who wear their red lanyards for outreach purposes). Either wear the Endeavor lanyard or better yet get the little clip or yoyo spring retractable thing. It's a much cleaner, simpler, and classier look. Don't carry a lot of extraneous crap on your lanyard, and under no circumstances wear a Delta lanyard. You will see very few Delta pilots wearing a lanyard. It may not even be permitted, I'm not sure. The vast majority just use the small clip or retractable thing.

And lastly if you are commuting or worse deadheading, simply removing your eppulettes, badge, and pin from you shirt or sweater does not constitute being out of uniform and under no circumstances should you have a cocktail on the commute home after so doing. I know this sounds obvious but I wouldn't be saying something if I hadn't seen it happen. Don't be that guy.

Just strive for a high level of professionalism and consider how you may be perceived. If your goal is to move on beyond 9E this mindset will serve you well.

I've probably managed to alienate virtually everybody on property in one fashion or another, for which I appologize. I just ask that you look in the mirror and at other pilots and observe who looks sharp and who looks sloppy. If we want to be treated, compensated, and rewarded like true professional aviators, we probably shouldn't start right off the bat being non-sop or anti-authority.

Thanks. Rant over 😜