British Airways Finally Gives Female Flight Attendants Right to Wear Trousers

After a two-year battle, female cabin crewmembers with British Airways are finally allowed to wear pants.

In the battle for equality and common sense, women working for British Airways can mark down a win for themselves. After two years of union fights with the airline, female employees in the “mixed fleet” of newer employees can now wear trousers instead of the skirts they were required to wear.

“Our mixed fleet team wear the ‘ambassador’ British Airways uniform,” an airline spokesperson told The Guardian. “While trousers are not a standard part of this uniform, colleagues wishing to wear them can request this through their manager.”

The crew’s union, Unite, has marked it down as a win as well.

“British Airways’ stance was unbefitting of a modern airline in the modern age, and demonstrates that Unite will not allow cases like this to go unchallenged,” Unite regional officer Matt Smith told The Guardian. “Not only is the choice to wear trousers a victory for equality it is also a victory for common sense and testament to the organizing campaign of our members. Female cabin crew no longer have to shiver in the cold, wet and snow of wintery climates, but also can be afforded the protection of trousers at destinations where there is a risk of malaria or the Zika virus.”

British Airways isn’t the only airline that’s been under fire recently about a skirt versus trousers policy. Etihad, Virgin Atlantic and Ryanair all either disallow pants or review requests on a case by case basis.

[Photo: Bloomberg]