Virgin Atlantic allows flight attendants to reveal tattoos

Virgin Atlantic flight attendants Terry Nunn (left) and Josie Hopkins freely reveal their tattoos – Photo: VIRGIN ATLANTIC

The new decision is part of Virgin Atlantic’s “personality” branding campaign as airlines ramp up staffing to prepare for post-pandemic recovery needs.

Virgin Atlantic’s chief human resources officer, Estelle Hollingsworth, said the airline wants people to be themselves. “Many people use tattoos to express their unique personality, and our uniformed and customer-facing employees should be encouraged to do the same if that’s their choice.”

Even so, flight attendants are still prohibited from having tattoos on their faces and necks. The company is still considering easing this regulation in the near future.

Tattoos with obscene, culturally inappropriate content or tattoos with nudity, violence, or drugs are also prohibited. In particular, love/hate tattoos on the fingers of a prisoner are also prohibited.

Love/hate tattoo illustration on finger – Photo: PINTEREST

Virgin Atlantic said many flight attendants would benefit from the decision, including those with full arm tattoos who previously had to wear long-sleeve shirts. Many flight attendants have smaller tattoos that are often covered with makeup.

Virgin Atlantic flight attendant Josie Hopkins said she had previously worked for another airline and had to cover up her tattoo made her feel like she couldn’t be herself.

Flight attendant Terry Nunn said his tattoos are landmarks in London (England). He revealed that when he comes to London, he usually tells passengers everything about the city, and now he can show them his tattoos.

“I’m glad we’ve changed our policy to allow flight attendants to express themselves,” said Terry Nunn.

Terry Nunn tattooed many landmarks in London, England – Photo: VIRGIN ATLANTIC

According to the newspaper The GuardianVirgin Atlantic was one of the first airlines to relax its strict rules on cabin crew makeup.

As of 2019, female flight attendants are not required to wear makeup when working and can wear trousers instead of skirts if desired.

The move is seen as a major change in the industry. Before that, female flight attendants had to follow strict rules about makeup and dress code.