The world’s best and worst cabin crew uniforms

Air travel entails certain basic truths: the defiance of gravity, the company of strangers and the ups and downs of the in-flight menu.

But when it comes to cabin crew uniforms, all bets are off. While some airlines favour the everyday, others go all out when it comes to what their staff can, can’t or must wear, and iconic designers, including Vivienne Westwood are often drafted in to have a crack at flight attendant style.

In recent years, there’s been a trend for rejecting tradition as comfortable trainers replace high-heels, and gender-neutral uniforms such as jumpsuits and trench coats take to the sky.

And as airport outfit debates on jeans and open-toe shoes rage on, what better way to pass time waiting for a delayed flight than by playing Gok Wan with flight attendant fashion?

So join us on a tour of the good, the bad and the downright dated when it comes to cabin crew outfits…

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SkyUp

In 2022, Ukranian airline SkyUp said goodbye to a conservative classic – tight-skirt and stiletto uniforms – and welcomed loose orange trouser suits and white Nike trainers to the cabin.

Accented with a blue silk scarf, the statement new look is a fusion of style and comfort. Marianna Grigorash, head of SkyUp Airlines marketing, described the bright uniform as the image of “freedom, natural beauty, individuality, no patterns and sneakers in which everyone would like to fly.”

Wizz Air

When launching a business, one of the key decisions to be made is whether to go sleek and subtle or big and bold. Wizz Air went for the latter when it launched in 2003 and the results are very, very pink. Anyone who’s travelled with the low-cost Hungarian airline will remember its crew members’ eye-wateringly bright shirts with calming purple cuffs to take the edge off.

In 2015, the company’s uniform was rebranded, with Wizz Air allowing staff to vote on the new style of uniform. This resulted in the introduction of a new item of clothing – the full dress.

British Airways

In its first uniform shake-up in 20 years, in January 2023 British Airways overhauled its Julien MacDonald uniforms to kit out cabin crew in modern jumpsuits, tunics and hijabs designed by Ozwald Boateng, a Saville Row tailor.

BA’s new sleek navy designs acted as a counterbalance to its notoriously traditional dress code. The new uniform was developed in trials…