Everyone envies the life of a flight attendant. The fact that they get paid handsomely to travel around the globe has attracted us all to apply for the job at least once in our lifetime. As much as we envy the life of a cabin crew, being one is not an easy task.
They have to go through very strict rounds of interviews before landing the job of their dreams. From giving written examinations to a one-o-one interview, there are a couple of stages that they have to clear.
Amongst these rounds, there is one assessment round that is done to assess one’s physical attributes. In this, the airlines also take into consideration any objectionable tattoos that one may have on their body.
Many eligible candidates get rejected for any visible body piercing or tattoos that they may have. It has been one of the major criteria for selection for many leading airlines for decades now.
To take a step forward to being more inclusive, Virgin Atlantic has become the first UK airline to allow its cabin crew to display tattoos.
As per The Guardian, the airline is to announce the change in policy to its staff, a month after it launched a branding campaign “championing individuality” – and as the aviation industry scrambles to recruit more people in key roles as demand bounces back after the pandemic.
Earlier, Virgin Atlantic, like many other leading airlines, had banned visible tattoos. They would only hire candidates who could conceal any ink work under their uniform.
Estelle Hollingsworth, Virgin Atlantic’s chief people officer, has said that the restrictions were being relaxed in line with our focus on inclusion and championing individuality.
It would be nice to see other airlines follow Virgin Atlantic’s lead and allow eligible candidates to be hired based on their potential alone.
