Although the German airline Eurowings isn’t quite ready to entirely ditch the traditional aircrew attire just yet, flight attendants are swapping in their high heels and formal shoes for stylish and comfy sneakers.
The Puma sneakers were given to Eurowings personnel at the beginning of September, but while office staff is free to wear them whenever they choose, flight attendants are only allowed to do so on specific “Sneaker Flydays.”
On the first Friday of every month, starting on October 7, Sneaker Flyday will be held for the first time. Flight attendants are required to wear black leather dress shoes or high heels on all other days.
The airline says Puma gifted the sneakers as a “sign of recognition for all the extra miles that Eurowing’s employees went during the pandemic”.
Pünktlich zum #SneakerFlyday sind unsere exklusiven Sneakers gelandet! Ab Oktober wird unsere #WingsFamily jeden ersten Freitag des Monats gemeinsam mit den Sneakers in der Luft schweben. 👟 https://t.co/9cmqkgAvYH pic.twitter.com/hnSadoUDiz
— Eurowings (@eurowings) September 16, 2022
“The sneaker symbolizes the change of the zeitgeist, which combines business and casual through a loose dress code,” a spokesperson for the Lufthansa Group low-cost airline explained. “Eurowings now wants to show that the sporty outfit also fits its reorientation as a value airline.”
In an effort to confront “traditional classics” in favor of a “contemporary and comfortable image,” Ukrainian airline SkyUp Airlines launched a brand-new flight attendant outfit in August of last year that featured an orange pantsuit and Nike Air Max sneakers.
As part of the first “gender non-specific” flight attendant uniform in the world, Icelandic airline PLAY also equips its flight attendants with white Nike-branded sneakers, and Japanese low-cost airline ZIPAIR permits crew members to wear white sneakers in addition to more conventional-looking footwear.
The main takeaway is that full-service airlines have not yet adopted sneakers, although low-cost carriers have. However, in 2018, Lufthansa did permit flight attendants to don unique Adidas-branded sneakers for one day.