Suits crew, madam!
Staff from collapsed Monarch airline put their uniforms on eBay – but will sales take off ?
THE planes may never fly again but it seems that demand for the uniforms of Monarch stewardess is still sky-high.
Former staff are selling memorabilia on eBay, including hats, scarves, aircraft lifejackets – and even a ‘toilet out of order’ sign.
The online auction site has been inundated with items from unemployed crew desperate for money while they find new jobs.
The airline, which was the fifth biggest in the UK, went into administration earlier this month, putting 2,000 staff out of work. The closure also affected thousands of holidaymakers, many of whom had to be flown home in the biggest repatriation exercise in peacetime.
Monarch’s distinctive purple and yellow uniforms are now being snapped up by eager collectors willing to pay hundreds of pounds.
Even worn tights are available. One pair, attracting bids by two potential buyers, carries the description: ‘These have been requested by popular demand, used and have clocked thousands of flying miles.’
A woollen hat with a Monarch badge is being sold for £99, and black heels – described as ‘sadly no longer required’ – cost £70.
A cabin manager’s uniform worn on one of the company’s last-ever flights is selling for £99. Meanwhile, a pocket calculator used for in-flight sales can be snapped up for just £2 and high-vis jackets with the Monarch logo cost £5. Some items have already sold. A lifejacket went on Friday for £87 after attracting 17 bids, oven gloves worn to prepare food on board fetched £6.50, and a multi-coloured scarf sold for £5.83.
Former stewardess Sharon Taylor is selling one of her uniforms and some other items. The 41-year-old, from Watford, said: ‘The six years that I worked for Monarch were the best years of my life, and when I found out I had lost my job it was one of the worst days of my life.
‘It really hurts me to sell these items but I have three children and need to make some money. I’m extremely sentimental and have kept two of the uniforms but I had to sell the rest to survive.
‘There are a lot of people who like collecting plane memorabilia – I sold a uniform last week for £143.
‘I have found a new job but there are people who haven’t and they are still really struggling.’