Air India has released an exhaustive list of grooming guidelines for its cabin attendants. The list includes grooming guidelines for both men and women crew members such as no pearl earrings, no low buns, clean shave for male crew members with bald patches etc.
The airline has asked male crew with balding patches or deep receding hairline to sport a clean shaved/bald look. It said that a crew cut is not permitted, and the head must be shaved daily.
Air India, which was earlier run by the government, had fairly lenient rules that gave allowance for the staff's individual tastes within a more general dress code.
Intricate specifics like the requirement that male crew members wear hair gel and that female crew members only use four black bobby pins are outlined in Air India's new grooming requirements for its cabin attendants.
According to a report by The Times of India, female crew members are not allowed to wear pearl earrings, bindis are optional but must be 0.5 cm in size, only one plain bangle without design or stones will be allowed, and no high-top knots or low buns are allowed.
Only gold or diamond round-shaped earrings with no design or ornamentation, rings not more than 1 cm in width, and only one in each hand, and only four bobby pins are allowed for women crew members.
The rules said that eyeshadow, lipstick, nail paint, and hair shade cards must be followed. Sheer calf-length stockings matching skin tone is mandatory with both saree and Indo-western wear for flight duties.
Both male and female crew members with grey hair are also required to regularly colour them in a natural shade. “Fashion colors and henna are not permitted,” it says. Black or religious thread on wrist, neck, ankle not permitted.
As if alluding to social media influencers, guidelines state that crew should not wear the uniform and its accessories when off-duty. The grooming guidelines issued earlier covers aspects such as code of conduct (crew shall not carry plastic bags or shopping bags in public area), deportment, etiquette, personal hygiene, method of carrying uniform etc.
Airline sources said the changes haven’t yet been adopted by the crew entirely. “For decades now, the finer details of the grooming norms haven’t been strictly adhered to. Details such as hair color, or shaving the head, wearing tiepins, these were never enforced. Enforcement will happen with the newer lot of flight attendants first,” said a crew.
Air India had issued an exhaustive list over a month ago but released another document highlighting the key changes in the uniform guidelines.
