I Travel through JFK and other US airports. UCAL, Delta Jet Blue, and American Terminal is where I am treated to crew members marching to a different drummer as far as appearances are concerned. I've seen more disheveled crews in ORD, JFK, EWR, LGA, IAD versus LAX, SFO, or SEA.

Oh... did I forget to mention tattered ties too?

I saw the writing on the wall some 22 years ago when I was with HP and we all took a 5% pay cut. That's when I thought to myself that is just the beginning of the demise of the Airline Industry in the US. That said, I've been an expat for more than 22 years not in many countries round the world. I've flown with a number of foreign carriers. I've been fortunate to never receive a pay cut, reduction in terms and conditions in my contracts, nor interference in my quality of life.

 

I'm I the only one that uses shirt stays?

 

What's a Shirt Stay?

 

My airline provides permanent stays as standard equipment without cost to us too!

 

Come on I thought you were in the military? LOL

 

[QUOTE=TheTriColor;1123025]Witnessed one of our crews (Delta) walking through the terminal in LAX last night and was very embarrassed at what I saw. I'm not trying to be mean and I wish I was more eloquent in what I'm about to say.... But...our female FO (I say she's female because normally I expect higher standards from the opposite sex....not to bring up a man vs woman argument) looked like she just stepped foot out of the trailer park. Messy hair, double breasted jacket open, looked to be malnourished, and my favorite part, was wearing those black tennis shoes things... I don't even know what their called but they most definitely are not dress shoes. They were literally tennis shoes. She looked horrible and I can honestly say I remember thinking "I hope pax don't realize she's a Delta pilot".
QUOTE]


Absolutely disgusting. What a damned embarrassment.

 

No.. he was in the Air Force.

 

No, it's much worse, I was in the Air GUARD!

No hats, no shoe shine, no saluting, no worries!

 

Wait,,,,what? Didn't you just pontificate on the need to shine your shoes and look professional?

 

When at work, for Delta, always in the Public Eye, yes.

But in my post about the Air Guard I was referring to military flight ops, while wearing green bags, etc. Two entireley different worlds, with entirely different cultures. I think in the 8 years at the Air Guard, I might have worn my Blue Suit three times, and two of those were to funerals. There was one guy in our unit who did actually iron his green bag...

When I first arrived back at my home base from UPT, I was sitting in the crew van with about 5 other crew, going out to the flight line for a local training ride, and the boom operator looks at my (highly polished, fresh out of ATC) boots, and says to the other guys...

"Hey, look at this guy's boots! You MUST be the NEW GUY!"

They all got a good laugh out of that, then he got up and came over to me, and put his boot on top of the toes of my boots and scuffed them up. He said, "Cut it out, you're making the rest of us look bad!"

It was all great fun, and most of the other pilots in that unit were also Airline Pilots but the Air Guard is a completely different world of flying, with different 'rules' for their dress code. Tomorrow I have a Delta trip, so today I'm getting a haircut, later I'm ironing my shirts, tonight I'll be packing and polishing my shoes. I don't love to do it, but I know I have to walk around the worlds busiest airport all day tomorrow, and the customers will be watching my every move...

I really wish I'd kept on flying boxes all night, boxes don't beoch, and I'd be making more money!

Oh, and we wore shorts and T shirts in the summer.