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If you’re considering a flight attendant career, you may wonder if body art would impact your ability to qualify for flight attendant training and get hired as cabin crew.
Many national airline hiring managers have strict dress code and grooming standards, and those who want to participate in a flight attendant course and pursue a flight attendant career are required to adhere to airline policies.
It’s understandable why flight attendant schools and airlines hiring flight attendants have these requirements – the cabin crew is the face of the airlines. Airline steward/esses are the main points of contact between an airline and the passengers.
Flight attendants’ appearance is one of the first things noticed by customers, and it often leaves a lasting impression that affects the airline’s brand image.
Your flight attendant training will require that you adhere to a set of grooming standards, which helps ensure that the cabin crew is projecting a unified and professional image.
For most US-based major airlines, tattoos cannot be visible when a flight attendant is in uniform. Many budget airlines, such as Spirit, Southwest, and Frontier, are also moving toward a stricter tattoo policy.
If you want to pursue a flight attendant career with international airlines, you may face more restrictions. For example, most airlines based in the Middle East won’t hire anyone with a tattoo.
If you have tattoos, one of the first steps to becoming a flight attendant is to understand each airline’s grooming standards so you can decide which opportunities to pursue or whether you’d need to have your tattoos removed before joining flight attendant school. That way you can still adhere to your self-expression while being respectful to the job’s requirements.
Here are the policies of major US airlines regarding tattoos for cabin crew.
According to United’s “Flight Attendant Uniform Appearance Standards,” tattoos must never be visible while you’re in uniform.
If your tattoo is on an area covered by the uniform, you’re not in violation of the flight attendant requirements. You can refer to the guidelines for the uniform designs to see if the available options are sufficient to cover your tattoos.
Per Delta’s Uniform and Appearance Guidelines, those seeking a flight attendant career with the airline aren’t allowed to have any tattoo that’s visible when wearing the cabin crew uniform (e.g., on the face, neck, hands, lower arms, or legs).
You can refer to Delta’s latest flight attendant uniform design to determine whether your tattoos violate flight attendant requirements.
Similar to United and Delta, American Airlines’ grooming standard for cabin forbids tattoos that are visible while in uniform.
To pursue a flight attendant career with the airline, refer to the latest uniform designs and see if your tattoos can be covered by the various options.
According to a flight flight attendant training, JetBlue’s cabin crew aren’t permitted to have visible tattoos.
Again, you can look up the airline’s uniform design to see whether your tattoos can be covered by the garments. It’s also recommended that you wear clothing with similar coverage for your flight attendant job interview.
Becoming a flight attendant with Southwest Airlines requires you to adhere to their flight attendant appearance standards, which state that “tattoos cannot be visible.”
However, tattoos are fine as long as they’re “appropriately covered by pants, long sleeve shirts, hair, makeup, or scarf.”
While there’s no tattoo policy in Spirit Airline’s employee handbook, information available on a career site indicates that tattoos must not be visible during interviews or when wearing the airline’s cabin crew uniform.
The airline’s uniform design is similar to those of most major airlines, and you should wear clothing with a similar level of coverage to your interview.
Per the airline’s guidelines, visible tattoos aren’t allowed while wearing the flight attendant uniform, even if covered by makeup, jewelry, or a bandage.
The policy prohibits tattoos in areas visible while wearing the cabin crew uniform, such as the face, ears, hands, wrists, and neck.
The airline’s regulation prohibits tattoos from being visible while in cabin crew uniform, and cosmetic and bandage coverings aren’t allowed.
On assessment day for your flight attendant training, you should wear an outfit that’s similar to the flight attendant uniform and follows the “no visible tattoo” policy.
Most major airlines have very similar “no visible tattoo” policies, and many consider covering up tattoos in visible areas with makeup or bandages insufficient for meeting the flight attendant requirements.
For some “grey areas,” such as lower leg or ankle, tattoos can be covered by wearing pants or dark stocking. If you have a tattoo on your arm, you can likely keep it as long as you’re willing to wear long sleeve garments, even during the summer.
Even when you’re not in-flight, your tattoos can’t show when you’re wearing the airline uniform or on duty (e.g., en route to the airport).
If you want to attend flight attendant school and pursue a flight attendant career, check that your tattoos aren’t visible while wearing the cabin crew uniform. If you have tattoos in highly visible areas, you may need to get them removed before becoming a flight attendant.
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