Long-haul airline Virgin Atlantic is to allow its cabin crew to display tattoos in a major staff policy change. Sir Richard Branson’s airline had previously banned visible ink work, only hiring staff who could conceal any markings under their uniform.
Until today, any uniformed Virgin Atlantic employee had to cover up any visible tattoo with a long sleeved shirt, plasters or make up. Short sleeve shirts are uniform standard so a special long sleeved shirt had to be requested.
Neck, face and head tattoos must still be covered, but this restriction is currently under review and the airline may change this policy, which has already been welcomed by air crew.
Estelle Hollingsworth, chief people officer at Virgin Atlantic, said: “At Virgin Atlantic, we want everyone to be themselves and know that they belong. Many people use tattoos to express their unique identities and our customer-facing and uniformed colleagues should not be excluded from doing so if they choose.
"That's why, in line with our focus on inclusion and championing individuality, we're relaxing our tattoo restrictions for all our people. We're proud to be the airline that sees the world differently and allows our people to truly be themselves.”
Virgin Atlantic was one of the first carriers to ease strict makeup rules for cabin crew. Female staff were forced to wear makeup on duty until 2019, when it scrapped the rule, and also allowed them to wear trousers instead of a skirt on duty.
Later this week, Virgin Atlantic announced will open up its cabin crew recruitment once more. In January, the airline received 5,000 applications for 400 roles and it is now expecting to recruit another 300 as demand for air travel returns.
