British airline Virgin Atlantic says it’s no longer mandatory for its female cabin crew to wear makeup on flights if they choose not to.
The carrier made changes to its styling and grooming policy on March 1, saying they have been listening to the views of their workers and made the changes to support them.
“In a significant change for the aviation industry, our female cabin crew are no longer required to wear any makeup, if they so choose,” the airline said in a statement.
“They are, however, still very welcome to wear any of our existing palette of makeup (including lipstick and foundations) set out in Virgin Atlantic’s guidelines.”
Pants are now also available to women as part of their standard uniform. They had to be specially requested before, the company said.
“Not only do the new guidelines offer an increased level of comfort, they also provide our team with more choice on how they want to express themselves at work,” the airline said.
Canada’s national carrier — Air Canada — told CBC News that there was no requirement for its female flight attendants to wear makeup, but they did “offer grooming tips to all flight attendants, male and female, in order to achieve a consistent, professional look.”
Last year, the airline faced allegations from its workers’ union that cabin crew were told to wear makeup on the job, among other critiques, during training sessions by the company.
Several other international airlines still require female flight attendants to wear makeup while working on flights.