Well said.

 

You average millionaire entrepreneur doesn't wear a suit and tie every day. This is the dumbest argument I have heard. Delta looks ridiculous in there double breasted jackets and hats, like they fell right off the movie set of Titanic. In the winter they look even worse with the pedophile coat on. Regional pilots have been playing the game with make believe dress up costumes for years. Do Compass pilots make what Delta pilots make just because they too where douchey hats and double breasted jackets as well? Do Skywest pilots make what United pilots because they look just like the United pilots do? How about Envoy and AA, there uniforms actually even come from the same vendor? Under your theory we need to go to mandatory blazers year round with hats too, because that it what it takes to get big pay checks. Never mind the Virgin America pilots who already make alot more than we do and are about to make a whole heck of a lot more than we do. Or the JetBlue guys, no ties for them yet somehow they make more than we do to. Look man, I am with you when it comes to looking sharp (i.e. haircut, shined shoes, wrinkle free clean smelling clothes). But don't tell me for a second that if I vote in the next survey to not wear our ugly a$$, cheap, crappy, plain blue, fraying zip on tie on top of a baggy trash bag looking shirt with no wings that some how I am going to get higher pay than if I wore I high end pollo that was far more comfortable, especially in the summer time that had a spirit embroidered emblem on it. Even Bendo wears jeans to work, and that dude despite all odds, makes 10 times what our highest paid captain does.

 

This is a serious profession and there is an expectation of commercial airline pilots to act and look professional. Not all do unfortunately but fortunately most of us in the industry take pride in that.

The polo shirt may be suitable or acceptable for some corporate operators or air tour pilots etc. But it is not acceptable in our profession and to the high standards that we have all worked hard to achieve as professional airline pilots.

 

I agree this is a serious profession, but we can take our jobs serious without having to take ourselves too serious, like the recent new hire who was standing out the cockpit window with his selfie stick. I mean I get that you fly 228 people around from time to time based on your avatar and screen name. But don't forget that airplane is painted bright yellow, you are flying people who want to go to Vegas for $25, and you and I are the lowest paid airbus pilots in North America. Keeping our ugly, non-matching, plain blue fraying, zip-on tie just simply does not matter.

 

I see what you are saying, but just because we work for a company that is a circus and looks like a complete clown show doesn't mean we need to degrade our profession to look the same.

Some people are just not going to act or dress professionally but to me that is a poor reflection on them not the profession.

Personally I take pride in my uniform, I don't wear the Incentex garbage, I buy my own high quality tailored uniform pieces. I'm not saying that everyone has to or can afford to but there are options to make these uniforms look good.

The bottom line for me is I will not go to work as a professional airline pilot looking like a flight attendant or a gate agent. I have worked to hard and hold my profession in a high enough regard to look like or be looked upon as I am nothing more than flight attendant or gate agent.

That is just my opinion.

 

Well said. I do the same. If these guys want to wear polo shirts, go fly corporate in a little Citation. I have done it, pass. You can say what you want about Delta's hats and double breasted blazers, but they get paid like professionals don't they? Nice hourly rate, plus profit sharing, plus a funded retirement and not 401K garbage.

 

I respect where you are coming from.

 

JetBlue pilots wear full uniforms, including the tie. No hats though.

 

Thank you for that, I'm glad to have a conversation with you based on mutual respect and not resorting to name calling and personal attacks. Very much appreciate it.

 

We are comparing ourselves to peers at legacy airlines. Management would live nothing more than for us to appear and feel less than. A uniform downgrade would be part of that. How many guys would say "I don't expect legacy pay" if we dressed like a bunch of fools at a sprint cell phone store.