Qantas will allow employees to wear non-heeled shoes and no makeup

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2 years ago

Australian airline Qantas said Friday it will allow its employees – including cabin crew – to wear shoes without heels, wear their hair long or their faces without makeup, regardless of their gender, as part of a revamp of some rules to promote the inclusion and comfort of its employees.

The changes to Qantas’ “style and grooming” guidelines – which are the first since 2013 – “are in line with employee feedback and evolving customer expectations,” the airline group said in a statement.

Among the major changes made by Qantas, as well as its low-cost airline Jetstar, is to allow shoes without heels, no makeup, long hair tied in a ponytail or bun, diamond earrings, glasses with clear frames or jewelry, including watches, although airline employees must hide their tattoos and wear name badges.

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While Qantas uniforms have not changed, the airline clarified in the statement that it has introduced combinations that “replace male and female uniform sets.”

“We are proud of our diversity and, in addition to updating our guidelines, these changes will make wearing our uniform more comfortable and practical for all our employees, including those with a wide range of body types and those from diverse cultural backgrounds,” a Qantas spokesperson said in a statement.

Many airlines around the world require female staff to wear high heels as part of their uniforms despite the fact that many of them operate intercontinental flights or have to walk long distances within airports, although some companies have allowed flat shoes as Japan Airlines did in 2020.

Likewise Virgin Atlantic stopped forcing its flight attendants to wear makeup in 2019 and last year introduced gender-neutral uniforms, while the airline Air New Zealand allows its employees to show their tattoos as in New Zealand they are a symbol of cultural identity among the Maori population.

With information from EFE