USA TODAY International Edition
United is throwing new shades
Updated uniforms for 70,000 employees will sport bold hues
United Airlines has revealed new uniforms that will soon roll out to all 70,000 of the carrier’s frontline workers.
The new line comes with a distinct look that includes such colors as “Pacific Blue,” “Premium Purple,” and “Atlantic Amethyst” – all among a half-dozen hues that United first teased in August.
Those new colors already have started to make it onto some of United’s updated cabin interiors, such as with the company’s new international-style “Premium Plus” seats.
Now, they’ll also be on bold display as United unveils the uniforms that have been in the works for more than a year, with fashion designer Tracy Reese and retailers Brooks Brothers and Carhartt working behind the scenes to craft the look and newly designed pieces.
“United should stand toe-to-toe with any global airline in terms in of how good their employees look and the quality of their uniforms,” Reese said to USA TODAY’s Today in the Sky blog.
“We wanted them to be proud of what they’re wearing, but I also I didn’t want to be cookie-cutter like the typical uniforms that are out there,” Brooks Brothers designer Brian Lane said about the challenge of perfecting the new look.
He said it was important to present workers with something that would give them an emotional lift.
“When you get on the plane, they’re the first people you see,” Lane said. “They want to express their pride and their uniform to the customer who comes in. Because at the end of the day, flying is still something special.”
The new designs for flight attendants and customer-service agents will feature some of the most sweeping changes to United’s current color scheme, which is heavy on neutral blues and grays.
A purple-hued dress accented with a curving lightblue stripe will be among the options for female attendants. Purplish “Atlantic Amethyst” ties are among the accessories for male attendants. Customer service uniforms will include United’s signature “Rhapsody Blue” as the main color, but they also have pops of United’s bright teal-like color dubbed “Pacific Blue.”
The uniforms will be worn by all of United’s customer-facing staff – everyone from pilots and flight attendants to airport gate agents and ramp workers.
United’s “below the wing employees” – industry parlance for maintenance workers, luggage handlers and other ground crew – already are wear-testing the new uniforms. More than 1,300 pilots, flight attendants and customer service workers will join the weartest effort by the end of the month.
Initially, the new uniforms will be hard to spot. While they’re in the wear-testing trials, the uniforms will sport a neutral blue-and-gray color scheme that’s similar to United’s current look.
Pilots, flight attendants and customer-service crews are expected to begin wearing new-look uniforms in late 2020, allowing time for any tweaks that result from wear-testing feedback. The ground-crew uniforms, made by Carhatt, are slated to roll out late this year following the current testing from those employees.
Brooks Brothers will manufacture and supply both the men’s and women’s uniforms for the rest of the employees. Reese handled the design of women’s clothes while Brooks Brothers handle the men’s designs.
United’s effort comes after its three biggest U.S. rivals – American, Delta and Southwest – each have already rolled out their own new employee uniforms since 2016.
The look of those carrier’s uniforms generally were well-received, but American ran into unexpected obstacles after some workers complained the new garments were making them sick. American repeatedly has said it could find no evidence linking the uniforms to the reported illnesses, but the subsequent backand-forth with the union has remained a pain point for the airline since the rollout.
United believes it has taken steps to make sure its workers are on board with its new options.
The Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) that represents United’s cabin crew went so far as to include a staff hygienist in United’s testing of fabrics considered for the uniforms.
Saying the uniforms “are integral to every part of our job,” union spokesman Jeff Heisey added: “When AFA staff participates from the beginning of the process with our experts of staff and our flight attendant representatives, the outcome is better for flight attendants. This uniform rollout is the product of close coordination with the company and union – and we know it will mean a better result for flight attendants.”
United has leaned heavily on employees for input, sending Reese, Brooks Brothers and Carhartt on frequent trips to United hubs to solicit feedback from the workers they were designing the uniforms for.
Reese credited that employee road shows for “allowing us to talk to so many employees and travel to all the hubs and see the customer-service agents and flight attendants in action.”
She added that the in-person visits, which began in August 2017, helped her and the other designers “understand the job and understand what that required of the clothing. That made the process longer, but it was so important.”
“They want to express their pride and uniform to the customer.”
Brian Lane, Brooks Brothers designer