Hong Kong, Jan 3 (DPA) Pilots at Hong Kong’s biggest airline were Sunday under orders to smarten up after being given a dressing down for being poorly turned-out in public.
A memo sent to the airline’s 2,000 pilots by Cathay Pacific general manager for flying, Captain Henry Craig, said cockpit crew had been spotted looking untidy and unkempt going to and from work.
He suggested they make it their new year’s resolution for 2010 to smarten up and stop taking off their ties, wearing jeans with uniform jackets, or sporting “unkempt hairstyles”.
“There have been recent occurrences when some crew members have appeared in uniform that is not befitting,” the Dec 31 memo said.
Craig reminded pilots of company guidelines that say pilots should be “similarly attired” when walking together to or from a flight.
The memo met with mixed reaction from pilots. One who requested anonymity said that, in a period of terrorism threats, management should have “more important things” to write about.
However, on an online forum for Cathay Pacific pilots, others agree with the instruction. “Just wear the uniform and stop bleating,” one pilot wrote.
