Emirates crew member shares ‘safety’ feature of uniform

Nathalie and Stefano are a cabin crew couple who work for UAE airline Emirates and share travel vlogs on their YouTube channel Sense the Lens. In a video, the couple revealed to fans some behind-the-scenes footage of “the things you don’t see as a passenger” when travelling with the airline.

It turns out, the planning behind the crew’s uniform isn’t just to do with looking smart but also incorporates a number of “safety” features. While getting ready before their flight in the morning, Stefano showed a very clever function of his tie.

Instead of securing the tie around his neck in the traditional way, it turns out there is actually a clip on the back of the fabric, so it can be easily attached to the shirt. However, getting ready at speed isn’t the main reason behind the clip.

Stefano said: “You thought our ties were real? Well, look at this, for safety in case some crazy people pull us from the tie or we get stuck somewhere.”

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While it might seem easier for airlines to simply get rid of ties from the uniform, another pilot named Bobby Paluga explained why the tie is such an important part of flight crew uniforms.

“Today to dress professionally for a man means a suit or sport coat or blazer and trousers with a shirt and tie,” he wrote on Quora. “Airlines want their pilots to look very competent and professional, their dress is partially to inspire confidence on the part of passengers.

“Flight attendants also dress up for the same reason. Secondly is identification you can immediately pick out a flight attendant or the pilot by their uniforms, this is important, especially in an emergency. Shoulder stripes help the passenger and airline support staff to identify the captain and first officer.”

While male members of Emirates staff wear a tie, the iconic uniform features a white silk scarf which is attached to a red hat for female members of staff.

Previously, on TikTok, another Emirates crew member named Danielle shared some secrets of the uniform. She posted a video to her page @danidboyy1 titled “Facts about the Emirates hat that you probably didn’t know.”

The flight attendant explained: “The scarf is attached to the hat by velcro so that it can be removed for cleaning. And yes, it can get dirty with makeup quite easily but the dry cleaning is provided by the company.”

She added that while crew members must wear the hat to board flights, it can be removed once they are onboard. “The hat has to be worn during boarding, disembarking and any time we are in public,” Danielle said. “However, it can be removed when we are eating or drinking.”