- British Airways bans crew from drinking coffee, tea or soda in public while in uniform
- Crew may only drink water discreetly and beverages in designated staff areas
- New appearance rules cover grooming, nail polish, lipstick, hairstyles and eyeglasses
British Airways has introduced a strict new policy prohibiting its flight attendants and pilots from drinking coffee, tea or soda in public while in uniform. The instructions ban crew from drinking anything except water in public, and even water must be consumed discreetly. Coffee and other beverages can only be consumed in designated areas like staff rooms or cafeterias.
According to PYOK, British Airways has introduced new rules and guidelines to maintain a professional and consistent image of the airline. Beyond beverages, the appearance code also dictates grooming standards for crew members, including approved shades of nail polish, lipstick, hairstyles and eyeglasses.
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British Airways has also banned its crew from commuting in uniform, despite it being a common practice in the industry. Additionally, this rule seems inconsistently applied, as crew members from other airlines are still permitted to wear their uniforms while commuting on British Airways flights. While the airline frames these changes as workplace improvements, they have sparked criticism internally.
In addition to uniform rules, British Airways has prohibited cabin crew and pilots from taking or sharing photos and videos of layover hotels on social media. This ban extends to private accounts and requires employees to delete existing hotel-related content. The airline cites security concerns, warning that advanced AI tools could analyse background details in images to pinpoint hotel locations, potentially putting crew members at risk. Employees who fail to comply may face disciplinary action.
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This is one of the many employee crackdowns we've seen from British Airways in recent times. The airline previously implemented a policy prohibiting pilots and cabin crew from posting photos or content of themselves in uniform on social media if they were "professionally engaged" in their job. This meant that crew members could face serious consequences for sharing images taken while on duty, such as photos taken onboard a plane, during check-in, or while walking through an airport terminal.
