Remember February? When we were so excited over Delta Airlines’ new Zac Posen-designed uniforms that we could hardly sit still? We knew they were going to be the fashion-forward looks that would elevate airline style forever, but it looks like there’s been some major snags (pun intended) in the actual uniform rollout.
It’s been awhile since we spoke about the ill-fated American Airlines uniforms that caused rashes and hives for some employees. The employees demanded a recall of the 70,000 uniforms, and the whole process could best be described as “mayhem.” So, we thought Delta Airlines would have really put in the time and work to ensure its uniforms didn’t go the way of American Airlines’ uniforms, but it looks like this is one lesson they’ll have to learn on their own.
'Passport Plum?' Delta rolls out new uniforms for 64,000 frontline workers https://t.co/I7M78v0yiM (pic: @Delta) #airlines pic.twitter.com/RxpeK8DYl0
— Ben Mutzabaugh (@benmutzabaugh) May 29, 2018
Delta rolled out the new uniforms to 64,000 employees, including flight attendants, gate agents and other employees, this week. Lands’ End supplied the new outfits, which in total made up 1.2 million uniform pieces. Within hours, reports of possible symptomatic reactions to the new outfits were being reported, according to Chicago Business Journal. The instances were immediately circulated on social media, and even American Airlines flight attendants got in on the action.
One Delta flight attendant posted an image of her reddened skin with the caption “my neck after a 10-hour Rome flight…it hurts!! Who do I report this to? Uniform committee?”
An American Airlines flight attendant quickly responded.
“Y’all wanted Lands’ End so we could be like Delta,” she said. “Now they are a mess. They are having reactions, their uniforms are ripping, buttons falling off, wings won’t stay on, etc. Oh, and the Lands’ End factories are in Indonesia and mainland China, not America.”
A Delta spokeswoman responded to the crisis in a statement on Friday.
“Since our new uniforms launched for 64,000 Delta employees, we have received a few reports about potential chafing or skin irritation,” she said, according to the Chicago Business Journal. “Just like the learnings we received from our thorough, three-year development process, which included three months of wear-testing on 1,000 frontline employees, we continue to listen and will resolve concerns on a case-by-case basis. We have already initiated conversations with each employee reporting an issue.”
If Delta wants to avoid the same public and embarrassing fate as American Airlines, it will need to deal with this major uniform issue quickly.
