In the face of tightening security measures and budget cuts, airlines have tried to maintain a sense of old-world glamour by requiring their employees to follow strict uniform requirements.
These requirements have been particularly restrictive for female cabin crew. Female flight attendants at Virgin Atlantic Airways must submit a personal request for permission to wear trousers as part of their high-fashion designer uniforms, while European budget airline Ryanair and Saudi Arabian luxury airline Etihad both ban female flight attendants from wearing trousers on duty, according to The Telegraph.
At British Airways, female flight attendants who joined the company before 2010 have been allowed to wear trousers as part of their uniform for the last 15 years, according to The Guardian. But women recruited since 2010 do not have a trouser option as part of their uniform. These flight attendants, hired after a series of employee strikes, have a different uniform, as well as lower salaries, than veteran flight attendants, and could only request trousers on religious or health grounds.
SOURCE: http://qz.com/
