This has to be a joke, and is in very poor taste.
Passengers in a plane have to be told what to do at certain points for safety reasons. Window blinds have to be up, arm rests down etc before landing for purely safety reasons. Passengers have to stop what they're doing and go and sit down and do up their seat belts during turbulence and other phases of flight, again for safety reasons.
It really matters, so aircrews therefore need to project authority, hence proper uniforms. In an emergency, aircrew need to be clearly identifiable, for example, during an evacuation. The clowns in the photo, pretending to be pilots but with their trainers and no ties, will not be easily picked out in the chaos by passengers or emergency services.
The clown suits in this photo will do nothing to enhance authority. They look like they are in a pantomime or a strip-a-gram or a fancy dress party.
Pilots and cabin crew have been through and passed intensive and difficult training. Cabin crew have extensive knowledge of safety procedures, fire fighting, crowd control, (aircrew actually go to a swimming pool to learn and practice water survival), medical procedures, including CPR and use of defibrillators. Pilots have knowledge of engineering, hydraulics, electrics, theory of flight, navigation etc, as well as an ability to fly accurately with good hand-eye coordination. On top of all that those us selected as pilots are calm in emergencies and do what is needed to resolve failure situations - that is why we are highly paid.
Aircrew are not just people off the street, they have achieved high standards and passed many complex and difficult exams. Aircrew are not a joke and should be valued, respected and looked up to.
Just like doctors. To be honest, I feel more comfortable if my doctor wears a jacket and tie, or the equivalent smart attire if they are female. If they decide to wear a tie, it shows that the doctor is taking their job seriously, and has respect for their profession and their patients. Steve Wright, the radio DJ wears a tie at work, because he says it shows respect.
The clown suits in the photo will do nothing towards this, and are pathetic, as are the bosses that came up with them.
Frankly, they are taking the piss.
Last edited by Uplinker; 30th June 2021 at 09:21.