American Airlines Flight Attendant Appearance and Grooming Standards

Before you even reach the in-person stage of American Airlines’ flight attendant recruitment process, the carrier provides a lot of detail about the appearance and grooming standards that it expects anyone who wants to get hired to follow.

Perhaps one of the biggest differences between some other U.S.-based carriers is that American Airlines does not allow its flight attendants to have any form of visible tattoo when wearing the uniform. If you do have tattoos, however, that doesn’t necessarily mean your recruitment journey with American Airlines has come to an end already… Read on to find out whether AA’s coverage exemptions apply to you.

Tattoos: What’s Actually Allowed

On the face of it, American Airlines’ tattoo policy for flight attendants is straightforward: visible tattoos aren’t permitted while in uniform or during training. You will be expected to declare visible tattoos, and lying could result in disciplinary action.

However, American Airlines does allow flight attendants to cover tattoos in three ways in order to remain compliant with its strict appearance guidelines:

• You can cover tattoos with a uniform item – including long-sleeved shirts, blouses and dresses.
• Approved watches and jewelry can also be used to cover small wrist tattoos.
• Waterproof makeup can be used to cover tattoos in trickier places like the neck, ankles or legs when wearing a skirt.

There are also some tattoo coverage options that American Airlines explicitly prohibits:

• Bandages, see-through gauze, pantyhose, and sleeve accessories may not be used to cover a tattoo.
• The uniform standard for hosiery is for them to be sheer; if you wear a skirt, you can’t just pull on a pair of thick tights to cover a tattoo.

What to Wear to the In-Person Group Experience

For the in-person stage of the recruitment process, American Airlines provides specific instructions. This is not a suggestion. If anything, it’s one of the first ways that the carrier can test whether you can properly read, understand, and follow instructions.

Actively ignoring these appearance requirements in an attempt to ‘stand out from the crowd’ will only hurt your chances of being hired. The standards are as follows:

Dress code:

• Men: a suit with a tie, and polished, closed-toe dress shoes
• Women: a pant or skirt business suit, or a professional dress. Dresses and skirts should be knee-length or longer, paired with closed-toe dress shoes. Moderate heels or flats are appropriate.

Appearance:

• Hair should be neatly styled; if it falls below the shoulders, it must be secured
• Facial hair must be between ¼ inch and 1 inch in length, and kept clean, neat, and well-groomed
• One earring per earlobe is permitted, with no ear gauges; no other visible body piercings are permitted while in uniform
• Decorative dental embellishments, including tooth gems, dental jewelry, grills, and similar cosmetic adornments, aren’t permitted while in uniform, during training, or while performing company duties

As covered above, tattoos must not be visible, the same standard that applies on the job.

Further Appearance Standards

Once hired, the same kind of appearance and grooming standards apply. These include:

• Makeup is not required, but when worn, glitter is not permitted.
• Makeup is gender-neutral; there’s no ban on men wearing it
• Glitter nails and nail art aren’t permitted. Nails should be red or a muted shade of pink.
• Nails should be clean and well maintained at all times.
• Hair must be a natural color
• Hair can be worn up or down but must always be neat
• Braces and Invisalign are permitted
• Sheer black hosiery is required when wearing the skirt or dress option