FlyDubai Shows Off New Uniforms

Metro carrier flydubai has just rolled out a new uniform after nine years of its initial navy and sand coloured uniform design. The new design will be worn by more than 2,500 staff including pilots, cabin crew, ground crew, training, engineering and maintenance staff.

The roll out coincides with the introduction of the airline’s first Boeing 737 MAX 8, which will join the flydubai fleet later this year. Commenting on the launch of the new uniform, Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer at flydubai, said: “flydubai has evolved continuously since its inception; we’ve continued to push boundaries and change the way people travel around the region.”

“Our desire to meet the varying travel needs of our passengers with affordable, reliable travel services still lies at the heart of our proposition; however, we have come a long way from being a start-up airline and this maturity needs to be reflected through multiple touchpoints across the airline, undoubtedly the uniform is the most visible of all,” added Al Ghaith.

Instead of following the current trend of partnering with local fashion designers, flydubai has teamed up with A. Ronai LLC., a Dubai based hospitality supplier, to create the new look for the carrier. However we believe the uniform is a little too relaxed, especially the men’s cabin uniform, which will be hard to differentiate between passenger and crew. A checked shirt and brown leather brogues don’t give enough authority in an emergency situation, and can see during the boarding process, these uniforms will get lost in the sea of boarding passengers.

However, “The line ‘Look good. Feel better. Perform best.’ captures the essence of the new uniform”, said Jilly Sims, Senior Vice President of Inflight Service at flydubai, and continued: “The design takes into consideration the various working environments of the flydubai staff including varied climates, cultural and religious sensitivities, durability and practicality, versatility, cost-efficiency, as well as security, health and safety regulations.” Perhaps a more relaxed uniform will provide the best service, when crew feel comfortable. There is a similarity behind this capsule wardrobe approach and that of JetBlue’s from 2014.

Commenting on the design elements of the new uniform, Laura Newman, Senior Manager Brand Strategy, who worked on the launch project, said: “When we started working on the new uniform, we were clear that we are not only looking to make a fashion statement but to come up with a design that represents who we are as a company: Dynamic, Efficient, Reliable and Human.”