I was recently in Iquitos, Peru (IQT). It's very much a garden-variety third world airport, with a hot, dirty terminal, a bumpy runway, no taxiways, and a number of derelict aircraft rotting away (see this picture for an example) in the middle of the Amazon jungle.

Yet one thing was remarkable: every last airline employee was immaculately dressed. Even the people working the ramp all had on neckties, clean, crisp shirts, and pants that had been pressed. And they were going about their work with a clear sense of purpose.

I couldn't help but think about the contast between those folks and some of the shiftless slobs that I've seen representing United at various stations. I think some of the worst offenders are UA employees (or contract employees or United Express folks) at ORD's F gates. Half of them are wearing non-United clothing, many of them have let their pants slide down like they're in an MTV video, a lot of them have "decorated" (doodled is more like it) their safety vests with ink markers, and so on.

Is there nothing that United can do about this? Does UA ever spot check these people's appearance? I realize that we're talking about people fairly low on the food chain being paid low wages, but it just looks horrible and really doesn't inspire the confidence of the flying public (we're trusting these jokers to do things like balance luggage in the pit and to make sure the cargo door gets closed properly). Does ANYBODY ever get sent home from the ramp to "get dressed?" Something tells me the answer is "no." These people are "on stage" every bit as much as pilots and FAs, yet there's apparently a completely different standard.

Shameful for the world's second largest carrier, especially at its "home" hub...