Flight attendant and pilot uniforms have, through the years, been subject to constantly-changing and sometimes arbitrary guidelines. During the rise of aviation within the Nineteen Fifties and Nineteen Sixties, airways relied on making a “glamorous” picture of jet journey and required their flight attendants to be feminine, single and weigh below 135 kilos.

While a number of the most sexist necessities had been phased out in the end (Australian airways Qantas Airways  (QUBSF) – Get Free Report stopped asking their female flight attendants to put on make-up in June 2023), most airways nonetheless have strict necessities round grooming and look.

Related: A major airline has found an unusual way to reuse flight attendants’ old uniforms

“The fit of the uniform must reflect a professional appearance,” reads one uniform guide that United Airlines  (UAL) – Get Free Report issued to its flight crew. “Extreme styles are not permitted. Unapproved alterations, such as cuffs or tapering of the uniform pants, are not permitted.”

‘Mouthwash, tooth gel, fragrance or any such product which has alcoholic content material’

While the uniform tips for many main airways embrace a observe saying that any fragrance or cologne have to be worn sparsely, the Office of the Director General of Civil Aviation in India is considering of banning all flight crew fragrances outright.

More Travel:

As first reported by Indian outlet The Hindu, the nation is trying so as to add a brand new clause to its Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) by-laws.

“No crew member shall consume any drug/formulation or use any substance such as mouthwash/tooth gel/perfume or any such product which has alcoholic content,” the proposed clause reads.

The change has much less to do with scents aboard the airplane as a lot as cracking down on any product that would have even a hint of alcohol. India has a number of the strictest pilot screening legal guidelines on this planet. Both pilots and flight attendants need to do a breathalyzer take a look at earlier than boarding every flight whereas, in keeping with the Director General of Civil Aviation, heavy use of fragrance might doubtlessly set off a false optimistic take a look at and even be consumed after the take a look at.

The common perfume is a focus of approximately 20% fragrance oil and 80% ethyl alcohol. Some heavier colognes can have greater than 90% alcohol.

Real motive India could quickly ban all fragrances for flight attendants and pilots

“Alcohol present in body even in small quantities jeopardises flight safety on several counts and is likely to adversely affect an aviator well into the hangover period,” India’s present CAR guidelines learn. According to the company’s numbers, 41 pilots and 116 flight attendants in India briefly misplaced their licenses after testing optimistic for alcohol content material in 2022.

In the U.S., pilots and flight crew will not be examined earlier than each flight however are topic to random screenings all year long. Sometimes, suspicion round somebody’s conduct also can immediate a examine. In June 2023, Scottish authorities arrested a Delta  (DAL) – Get Free Report pilot who was presupposed to take 260 people from Edinburgh to New York for having an elevated blood alcohol content material in his system.

In the summer time of 2021, a United  (UAL) – Get Free Report pilot was sentenced to 10 months in jail for displaying as much as a flight whereas intoxicated. An alcohol examine was prompted by a bargoer who noticed him consuming closely the night time earlier than, acknowledged him as a pilot and posted concerning the incident on Twitter.