More than 70,000 American Airlines workers debut new uniforms Tuesday

You’ll now notice a new look for American Airlines employees. The frontline workers at the world’s biggest airline switched to a long-anticipated new uniform, the first in nearly three decades.

The switch put more than 70,000 workers – all of the company’s pilots, flight attendants, customer service agents and airline club workers – into new duds starting with their first shifts Tuesday morning. The uniforms sport a “slate gray, cobalt and crisp white” color scheme, part of an effort by American to give its customer-facing employees a modern, new look.

While the airline hopes the fresh new look is a hit with both workers and customers, it’s also an important sign of progress.

The uniform overhaul represents one of the last – and most visible – signs of the American-US Airways merger, which officially closed in late 2013. The merger integration is nearing its end – US Airways’ last-ever flight flew last year – but the combined carriers' crews had yet to share a common uniform.

“It really shows us as one brand. And that was really the only thing that was still kind of lagging behind for customers – being able to see that come together,” says Brady Byrnes, American’s Director of Global Marketing. “It’s a huge milestone for us."

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The new uniforms continue an effort by American to update its brand, which began even before the merger with US Airways. In 2013, the company unveiled a new paint scheme and logo, with American opting to keep it for the post-merger airline following an employee vote. The company has since been updating everything from its website to its airplanes with the new look.

“We’ve been investing quite heavily on everything from re-branding all of our airports to painting aircraft,” says Fernand Fernandez, American’s VP of Global Marketing. “This completes a lot of the customer-facing elements.”

The uniforms will be worn by employees at American and its wholly owned regional carriers. Feeder carriers that American does not own, such as Republic Airlines, will not get the new uniforms.

Even without the merger, however, uniforms were due for an update. At merger partner US Airways, employee uniforms were last given a broad overhaul nearly a decade ago. At American, Byrnes says, “it was roughly the late 1980s when the last major refresh was done.”

“There have been some new ties and scarves, but we’ve pretty much been in the same clothing on the legacy AA side for greater than 25 years,” he says.

Getting the look and feel of a uniform right is important for all airlines. But it’s perhaps especially so for American right now, says Seth Kaplan, editor at the Airline Weekly trade publication.

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“As a customer, it still hasn’t felt like a completely unified airline," he says, noting that some employees are still wearing uniforms with US Airways branding. “This is an important step in giving the impression to customers that this is one airline.”

And, of course, smart new uniforms can go a long way in boosting morale among employees.

“It matters,” Kaplan says. “You want your people to be wearing something that they can take pride in and makes them feel good about the job they’re doing.”

Arriving at the new look 

To bring workers’ uniforms into the modern era, American says it worked closely with employees to get their feedback throughout the design process. It's an effort company officials say they’re especially proud of.

“This has really been 100% employee-driven,” Byrnes says of the multi-year effort.

Employees’ contributions also extended to the new color palette, which plays off the colors from both American and US Airways.

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“What our colleagues told us was that they wanted to somehow pay tribute to where they came from, but also that this is a great opportunity to hit the reset button,” he says.

Beyond the main uniforms – manufactured by Twin Hill – American is touting a line of accessories produced in an exclusive partnership with Cole Haan.

Fernandez says that working with Cole Haan, “a great American brand, has further elevated the uniform,” with custom-designed handbags and other components that offer American some design flexibility.

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“This uniform is not going to just be delivered and then 10 or 15 years from now we’ll come back and update it,” Fernandez says. “The promise we’ve made together with our employees is that every couple of years there will be new pieces to allow the collection to continue to be refreshed.”

Also included in the uniforms and accessories: concessions for the modern world.

American’s flight attendants, for example, now carry company-issued tablets to help take in-flight food and beverage orders. And the carrier’s pilots now carry iPads, allowing them to lighten the load of their flight bags by using the devices to replace paper manuals and maps.

“All of their pieces have been designed for the tools that they have today,” Fernandez says of the uniforms and accessories that accompany them. “That’s why it’s critical we continue to evolve this over a period of time, because things will change.

"We’re already starting to rethink what’s next," he adds.

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