I utilize public transportation to get to and from work at Frankfurt International Airport and run into a LOT of uniformed airline personnel, particularly from Lufthansa and United. United has a crew base in Frankfurt and therefore has a lot of FRA-based FAs who take the S-Bahn to the airport.
Sadly, the difference between the average appearance of a Lufthansa and United flight attendant is astounding--there is no other way to put it. We all take note of how others dress and put themselves together and I take particular note of how airline professionals do. I have been watching intently for the last five months and the United folks simply should be ashamed of the way they look.
Two weeks ago I observed a particularly revealing juxtaposition. I was at Konstoblerwache station in central Frankfurt on my way to the airport and noted two UA FAs (both, oddly, with Belgium pins on their shirts and speaking in Flemish) who looked like they had just rolled out of bed (maybe they had, but it was 19:30). The guy was overweight, unshaven, and his his shirt was hanging out from the back of his pants. His tie was lose, his trousers were much too short, and his shoes were scuffed. His female colleague was not much better. She was just wearing a short-sleeved shirt that she had not bothered to iron, and you could see the hem marks on her pants from 20 feet away. Her shoes were also heavily scuffed in the front and her hair was messed up.
Standing nearby were two Lufthansa FAs. In stark contrast, their uniforms were neatly pressed, hair groomed, makeup applied, and shoes nicely shined.
I really wanted to take an up-close shot and post it here, but it would have been too obvious: I used the arriving train as a diversion and snapped the picture from a distance. You'll have to trust me that they looked as bad as I describe above. I thought about confronting the two UA FAs but elected to hold my tongue, reasoning that it actually was not my business and that lecturing them on a crowded train might be uncomfortable for all three of us.
I planned to write up a scathing blog post immediately, because the incident reflected what I had been observing all year, but I decided to hold off and observe for two more weeks--just to make sure emotions would not cloud my analysis.
But over the last two weeks, I have observed more of the same, which leads me to this post tonight.
I know times have been tough at United. I know the front-line staff has given up a lot and not received much back in return. I know that many FAs are locked into their career and have no other viable options if they chose to resign. But come on people, can't you show just a little bit of pride in your occupation?
Many UA folks do take a few extra minutes to make sure they are looking sharp, but many (many more, from what I have seen) do not and that does not reflect well on the airline. Over the last two weeks I have observed dozens of LH employees aboard the S-Bahn and have gone out of my way to try to find one that is dressed sloppily or ungroomed. In all honesty, though, I have not found one, not even one! That says a lot.
I served in the U.S. Air Force Reserves and wore a uniform quite often. Naturally, that makes this subject more touchy for me, but it simply comes down to taking pride in what you do. My shoes were always shined and my uniform pressed not just because that was what regulations prescribed, but because I wanted to and because through my uniform I represented something much bigger and more important than me alone. I submit that FA uniforms also represent something much bigger and more important.
This is not the sort of issue you write to UA in a complaint letter, but I am going to make it a point that someone at UA and the Association of Fight Attendants sees this. I do not intend this post to be a hatchet job on United FAs. As you'll hear next week, UA's FRA-based crews have treated me extremely well in my frequent travel between Frankfurt and Washington Dulles. I have flown airlines from all over the world and still prefer UA's crews over most. But it is essential that UA, the AFA, and the FAs themselves (and to be fair, pilots are guilty of looking sloppy as well) examine this issue now.
Morale will not suddenly improve overnight, but if the UA folks started emulating the Lufthansa folks a bit more when it comes to dress and appearance (and not in other ways, as I will blog about tomorrow), I think they would find morale would go up and they would start enjoying their jobs more, even as CEO Jeff Smisek mulls over seeking more concessions from his "team members" that have already given up so much.
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Another, perhaps even better example, is BA. With the occasional exception, BA cabin crew are impeccably dressed and coiffed, and offer a level of service and professionalism that far exceeds US carriers. This despite the fact that they are very poorly paid, and have been dealing with a lot of cost cutting nonsense as well. They have a pride in the service they offer.
I think there is a cultural problem with American FA's, in the sense that in the US, (American citizen here, btw,) there is a culture of entitlement that leads to a general lack of enthusiasm by people in the service industry, unless they are working for tips/commissions.
That said, I think the way to solve this problem on US carriers is to start letting FA's accept tips. When I take the Acela in First Class from DC to NY, I give the attendants $5 or $10 when my first drink order is taken, and usually another $5 or $10 when I leave, if the service has been up to par, (which it always is after the tip.) When I haven't tipped, the service has been terrible.
I understand where you are coming from, but you have to remember you are commenting on people when they are off work. These are people (just ask Bobby from UpUpandaGay) who may have not gotten much sleep, and are doing a very short turn, and/or they may not be based in FRA. Again, I am not saying your point is not valid, but how people look when they are NOT on the clock is not the companies business as far as I am concerned, and if it IS, then they need to pay the employees at all times they are in uniform.
@Joelfreak: Thanks for your comment, but I just find that a pretty poor excuse--do some FAs have so little pride in their jobs that they cannot take a few extra minutes to iron or tuck in their shirts or shine their shoes?
Whenever they are wearing their uniform, they are representing UA. I think it says a lot about the midnset of an employee if they feel they only have to look presentable when they are actually working a flight.
Even though this thread is quite old, I agree with Matthew. When you're wearing your company's uniform out in the public even when your not being clocked in, you still represent your company. I would even say that you are representing your country as well. Yes, the US has no flagship carrier considering there are multiple carriers but it still is an American company.
If they don't want to take the time to make themselves look good then change clothes once you arrive at the airport. It really is disappointing to see FAs look sloppy in their uniforms. I understand it's a tv show but watching the stewardesses in the Pan Am show, it is quite a sight when you see them walking together in the airport.
Matthew, You are one dude with way too much spare time on your hands. What qualifies you to evaluate someone's appearance commuting to work? Since you claim fashion superiority as a member of the US military representing your country in uniform, I'd like to tell you about the time I sat next to one of your fellow members who got drunk and threw up over his seat mates, while in uniform. It is just plain wrong to judge people only by their appearances.
Jane, I appreciate your comments but you misconstrue my words. My point is this: those FAs who dressed like slobs had no pride in their jobs, just like the military slob who got drunk and threw up on his seatmates had no pride in his job or uniform.
I profoundly disagree that it is wrong to judge people on their appearances--a person who cares so little about themselves that they walk around town disgracing their employer should be called out for it.
The solution is simple--if you are not going to wear your uniform correctly or act with with professionalism while wearing your uniform, don't wear it. Those two employees represented United Airlines poorly while the Lufthansa girl represented her company well.
A couple of years ago I stayed a few days at the Sydney Harbour Marriott, which turned out to be a (if not the) UA layover hotel in SYD. UA crews arriving off TPAC services rolled into the hotel lobby around 830a, just as I was heading out to Circular Quay to procure tea and bacon rolls for my family.
A more slovenly, ill-behaved group of airline employees, and a poorer advertisement for their company, I have never seen. Shouting at each other across the lobby; using profanity loudly and openly; barking rudely at the long-suffering hotel staff; shoving other guests aside to get to their rooms more quickly. Yes, their uniforms were rumpled after the long workday... but the sartorial details were far eclipsed by their crude, vulgar, uncaring behavior.
This was not one crew in particular; it was one after another over the best part of a week: tousled, florid, harsh, and if they cared at all that they were making the UA uniform and brand look repellent, they didn't show it.
We flew Cathay Pacific in and out of SYD that trip and after the show those UA employees put on in the lobby, elevators and hallways of that hotel in SYD, have not flown United Airlines longhaul anywhere.
as a representative of any branch of military.., when you are in uniform you wear it and act accordingly in it. No excuses. Nada!
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