Tickled ink: Virgin Atlantic allows cabin crew to display tattoos

theguardian.com:

Virgin Atlantic is to allow its cabin crew to display tattoos, the first UK airline – and leading carrier worldwide – to do so.

The airline is to announce the change in policy to its staff, a month after it launched a branding campaign “championing individuality” – and as the aviation industry scrambles to recruit more people in key roles as demand bounces back after the pandemic.

Sir Richard Branson’s airline, in common with most carriers, has until now banned visible tattoos, only hiring staff who could conceal any ink work under their uniform.

Estelle Hollingsworth, Virgin Atlantic’s chief people officer, said restrictions were being relaxed “in line with our focus on inclusion and championing individuality”.

She 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.”

Facial and neck tattoos will remain banned for flight attendants – for now, although the airline is considering relaxing the rules at a later date. Tattoos with swearing, or deemed culturally inappropriate, or those that refer to nudity, violence, drugs or alcohol are off limits. Prison-style love/hate knuckle tattoos will also remain proscribed.

Virgin Atlantic said crew who would benefit included those with full-arm tattoos who previously had to wear long-sleeved shirts instead of the standard short-sleeved version while on duty. Others have concealed smaller tattoos with makeup. Aeroplane tattoos are popular among crew, the airline added.

Josie Hopkins has just completed her training as cabin crew and will be allowed to have her tattoos on show when she makes her