Uniform Poll
 

With the recent uniform thread I got to thinking. Your answer can be one word.
If your Airline said that you no longer are required to wear the uniform, you can now wear either the uniform or business casual, would you still continue to "show respect to the profession" by wearing the uniform?

I for one would be the first guy wearing business casual and the first with a goatee were that to be allowed. When I flew freight I wore carharts and had a pretty descent Moses style beard and I don't think I was being disrespectful but then again boxes don't really care what you wear(unless they're Amflight boxes;)

Uniform...the ladies take a second glance at ya ;)

Have you seen Virgin America's uniform?

yep and I believe that is what they are required to wear. I don't think they have a choice between that and a normal uniform. I would take theirs over mine any day.

Uniform - but I'd like a more casual uniform (no tie, no hat)..........I have no fashion sense and can't dress muself unless someone picks out my clothes. It hasn't gotten better over nearly 20 years of wearing only a few items either!

USMCFLYR

You're just delaying the inevitable my man. Might as well be comfortable and keep the glances to one or none.

I'd drop the hat like a bad habit (don't wear mine anyway), but continue to wear the uniform. No tie in the heat of the summer. Call it unprofessional, but I call it comfortable.

I'd throw a bag on...

Yeah I did not think they did. But black pants and black shirt, even without a tie that is suicidal for summer weather.

HAHA...that could be, being comfortable is verrrry tempting though!

I'd Love to fly in my Civi's...but not 121. Got to fly in business casual during my aircraft checkout here at SKW and thought it was the cat's pajamas...

But short answer is the Uniform, any day, every day.

Jet jammies!

G-suit, with helmet....that'll make the pax comfortable, and be sure to make all announcements while taking pressure demand O2

I think either a uniform minus the tie..... or NICE business casual.... nice slacks with a COMPANY polo shirt would be awesome... never gonna happen because too many of the guys think the uniform shows respect.... personally I think it looks like a bus driver. In the last 30 years the world is full of companies who relaxed their dress codes to find in almost EVERY case... the employees become much more productive and enjoyed their job. Now I am not talking about a total relaxation of the dress requirements mind you just a tweaking... as has been mentioned ....HAT... ugh... tie.. UGH.... Again I will say it... nice black shoes... nice pressed slacks... uniform shirt with epaulets ( or a nice polo ) ... and wala.... you just might be surprised at how the employees react and how much MOST passengers would support it>

I think a black polo with some knit wings, first intial and last name with some dockers would go good for anyone...

You use the "I'm a pilot" line in bars, don'tcha? :rolleyes:

Its a known fact that many chicks dig uniforms. Whether is a pilot uniform, or a sailors uniform, or an army uniform.

Has anyone seen the DKNY-designed flight suits the Santa Fe rocket racing league team is wearing?

Seriously, after wearing nomex for a while.. I still cringe when I see "polyester" on the tag of my uniforms.

To answer the poll, though, as a part 121 pilot, no, i'd not ditch the uniform altogether. It doesn't get us the respect it used to, but at least people move out of my way when I'm trying to get back onto the flight deck from my preflight after the gate agent has started boarding.

Well, that, and I'm with USMCFlyer. I can't dress myself.

Gotta love the uniform police. You people crack me up

I hate just hate the hat thing get rid of that and I'm set and maybe the tie can be optional in the summer.

I'll second that! Lose the hat, well keep em for the ladies..(they love em)... blazer optional for cooler days.

We could all live with this.....


http://img125.imageshack.us/img125/7...770da20oo2.jpg

Ohh yeah...I tried it, but it never worked for me :rolleyes:

I agree with ditiching the hats! If we got rid of them, maybe people would stop thinking were skycaps! While we are on the uniform subject, how many times a day do you get the "are you a pilot" line asked, even though your in full uniform?? It seems like poeple these days dont even recognize pilots or the uniform? :confused:

Just to see the look on a TSA screener's face, I'd wear a Taco Bell worker's uniform. "Yes I am a pilot. Now verify that I'm in CASS and let me through. I'm working the BWI flight!"

:D

A beater, shorts, and flip flops, just like PCLCREW.

yeah, about ONE dozen!! Sorry, but the uniform works like an exotic car with the ladies! I would not mind it being more comfortable, but it still needs to look a uniform, and I do not mean khakis and a polo.

I DO NOT use the "I',m a pilot" line. I do not know anyone who has used it sucessfully. LMAO

I am a traditionalist...however the hat send it flying, and lose the tie in the summer!

The hat has been apart of the uniform since the beginning of airline flying. I don't know why so many want to get rid of it now. A few years back everyone wore the uniform proudly.. sure times have changed, but its still the same job. Maybe its this ATP generation who put in 5 months into flying and getting their ratings, I don't know.

I've wanted to do this job since I was a kid. I invested a lot of money and 5 years into it, and am in serious debt now. So I intend on having some respect for what I'm doing and the way I look doing it.

Besides, coupled with the blazer the hat looks sharp (unless u wear an oversized hat thats falling over your eyes). And as mentioned.. the chicks do dig it. :D Unless your really fugly...but even then.

Any other place in the world the flight crews respect their uniforms, and wear them properly, whether its the F/As or the Pilots. Been in the intl terminals lately to see foreign crews walking through? See a difference between them and U.S crews? I do.. Might be a little of a cultural issue too. People in the U.S tend to care less about how they present themselves in public, then people from other countries.. not knocking anyone, but its true.

Once again....If we want to be treated like professionals we should look and act as such. Nothing will look as professional as your uniform so im pro the whole thing; including hat and tie.

I'm starting to hate what this profession has become, some of us dont even care about even ironing our shirts, now we dont even want to wear our uniforms??

Equating the uniform with being a professional is ridiculous. Professionalism is a state of mind and a way of presenting yourself...regardless of what clothing you're wearing. You can be a professional in your underpants. My doctor once came in to see me wearing her pajama bottoms and a pair of flip flops...was she any less of a knowledgable doctor? No. Did I think any less of her as a professional? No. Did I think she lacked a little fashion sense? Maybe.

The uniform was introduced to give passengers an identifiable, recognizable apperance that made them feel comfortable. Whether they equate that with professionalism is debatable. Today we all look like valets, skycaps, TSA, etc. The uniform is pretty much a worthless display now that everyone wears one just like ours.

I would vote for khaki pants and polo shirts...some sort of business casual. I would also go for blue jeans and a t-shirt with epaulets printed on it. I really don't care. I know what I'm capable of and I know what my job is. I can do it the same way regardless of wearing a cheap shirt from VF Imagewear or naked. I'm a professional in any clothing.

banana hammocks for everyone!

Uniform....

Pajama bottoms and flip-flops? Nothing else? SWEET. Is that what you kids are calling "those" kinds of women these days? "doctors"?

Hey, seriously man, I agree - professionalism is about the way you present yourself. And one of the ways you can present yourself well is to WEAR A UNIFORM.

If you are a professional you must look like a professional. To most people pilots are mysterious. The only time you see them is walking around the airplane looking at it, or walking through the terminal. Passengers have no other interaction with them. So if pilots were to start wearing "a t-shirt and blue jeans" and looking like bums, sorry, but that would be pretty lame. Does nobody care about how they present themselves anymore???? I find this actually shocking.:eek: When I was a kid I didnt care. But now when you go ANYWHERE and you meet people, guess what? The first impression they get will be based off your looks.

uniform...and could we please get some better quality ones btw!!

Absolutely!

The way you dress says a lot about you, and what you do... it s just the way it is...
so we look like bus drivers in our uniform, so what we should do is switch to blue jeans and T-shirts... great, now we'll look like pizza boys!
First impressions are important! I know I wouldnt want my kids surgeon show up with pajama bottoms and flip flops the day I meet her.... It does matter to me, sorry

I'd never thought I'd say this, but have to keep the uniform. Brings professionalism to the pilot profession, or at the image of professionalism.

Lose the hat and tie though.

Guess what if you are a professional you are going to look good in anything you wear uniform or not. Though I do believe there needs to be some uniformity within a company on what you wear. Nice khaki pants and a polo shirt would do.

We've all seen how terrible some people can make the traditional uniform look. What makes you think an alternative uniform would be any different?

The slackers out there would not press the slacks, not shine the shoes, and leave the "polo shirts" rolled up in their roller bags until 30 min before show time. After 6 months of use in the cockpit (and washing), the shirts would begin to fade and fray.

No one would replace their shirts, stating "they don't pay me to look like a professional," and complaining that the company doesn't provide the shirts. Same song and dance that everyone sings right now.

Think how the average high school student wears the public school uniforms.

The net result would be pilots lowering themselves a notch in the public eye. News flash guys: we don't have many notches left until were on the bottom rung.

Let's not reduce ourselves to what some of the ugly, poorly dressed business travelers we carry look like.

Look, I find the uniform a bit of a pain in the nexk at times myself. Before we go offering more concessions if they let us wear business casual lets consider a few things. Anybody with any military experience, or law enforcement experience will be the first to tell you about command presence and the instant increase in authority it provides when dealing with non-uniformed personnel. That being said, putting a uniform on an idiot does not improve things, it does however provide a higher starting point from which to command respect, and excercise command authority with little or no objection.
Starting into a situation in a polo shirt and dockers does not provide ANY advantage whatsoever.
Our uniform sets us apart from the pax, the gate agents, the bag handlers, and even the managers. Anybody can run a ticket counter, anybody can throw a bag into a cargo hold, a rip the zippers off, and anybody can go to college and get an MBA.... very very very few in this world progress to holding an ATP certificate flying transport category aircraft.

Do we belong in uniform; YES !

PS - the crappy uniforms showing up lately from places like VirginAmerica, jetBlue, the gone but not forgotten Skybus and places like that do nothing for our profession.