BA female cabin crew win right to wear trousers, claims union
British Airways has claimed female cabin crew have always been able to wear trousers as the union claims victory following a ‘two year battle’.
Unite said that the airline’s ‘Mixed Fleet’ – a category of crew created in 2010 and hired on different terms to existing staff – were told it ‘wasn’t in the Mixed Fleet vision for female crew to wear trousers’.
This applied to 3,000 of the airline’s 17,000 cabin crew staff.
Unite said 83% of its members said they wanted the right to wear trousers and that following a two year battle, BA has backed down.
However the airline claims that although it wasn’t part of the uniform, cabin crew have been able to request it through their manager – with less than 1% asking for it.
A BA spokesman said: "Our Mixed Fleet team wear the ambassador British Airways uniform. While trousers are not a standard part of this uniform, colleagues wishing to wear them can request this through their manager."
Unite’s regional officer Matt Smith said in a statement: "It was ridiculous that 46 years after the ‘Made in Dagenham’ women won the right to equal pay that companies like British Airways were still employing old fashioned views and treating women differently. British Airways’ stance was unbefitting of a modern airline in the modern age.
"This has been a long running campaign against British Airways management’s continual refusal to allow female cabin crew on its Mixed Fleet the option of wearing trousers."
Crew in BA’s Worldwide and Euro fleets have been able to wear trousers since 2003, after a uniform overhaul by designer Julien Macdonald.
Diane
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
TAP Air Portugal to operate 29 flights due to strike on December 11
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airbnb eyes a loyalty program but details remain under wraps
Air Mauritius reduces frequencies to Europe and Asia for the holiday season
Major rail disruptions around and in Berlin until early 2026