Leather jackets vs. Dress jacket

[AceCrackshot]

Airways has a full length wool coat...its excellent. Looks good with the uniform, warm enough to stand a YYZ overnight in Jan. or a BGR preflight. Only problems are its weight, expense, and when the F/A would wear it standing in the airstair door, her hair would get all over it.
Nothing like starting two days off fighting with the wife as pulls long blond hairs off the coat. Might as well smudged lipstick on my collars.

Ah, the glamour of aviation.

 

[CF34-3B1]

Something to think about: At JetBlue, the company gives you the leather jacket, at 3yrs. In other words, it's a reward, a symbol of seniority and accomplishment.

SWA, jB, FedEx. The 3 places I'd most like to work (I'd bet a lot of posters here feel the same) ALL wear leather.

If you have a problem with it, I'm sure none of them would mind your not applying.

 

[mullet]

SWA, jB, FedEx. ALL wear leather. If you have a problem with it, I'm sure none of them would mind your not applying.

Your right, all are great airlines to work for. But it's not a question of comfort it's about looking PROFESSIONAL. The leather jacket feels great but looks lame.
To all the non-believers at SWA/Jetblue etc..., DID YOU WEAR THE LEATHER COAT DURING YOUR INTERVIEW?? I'm guessing not it would'nt of looked very professional.

 

[Anaconda]

i'll have to disagree about the leather jacket being better on those cold days preflighting...i go for the overcoat and suit jacket and i'll wager i'm much warmer on those cold blustery mornings then with just the leather jacket and my legs unprotected. i've never found mobility to be a problem for me...

besides, all these guys i see with the leather jacket and then have ill-fitting pants or a huge butt have no idea how silly they look.

as someone mentioned, it's all about uniformity. if the leather jacket was the standard, that would be fine, let's all do it. however, it's not and that's why you see the hodgepodge of uniforms in concourse c. of course comair is too cheap to pay for the leather jackets so that's what we ended up with...

 

[Jeepman]

Leather Jacket looks unprofessional? That's a matter of opinion. Uniformity? How is it not uniform if you have black pants, a black tie, black hat & a black leather jacket with PROFESSIONAL looking eppauletes & your name on it with wings. "You look like your going to bomb Berlin".....uh o.k you do if you have the brown leather sheepskin jacket with patches all over it.

Hey if you guys don't think that it's professional enough, fine. I'm sure you'll fell great about yourself preflighting an aircraft in Fargo when it's -20 degrees and your on the verge of frostbite in your 1/8 inch "professional suit jacket"

 

[captjim]

For me it's a matter of functionality. I wear it when I fly in the north or its cold as heck, or wear the blazer when its warm. Thats it all depends on the wx for me. I say thank God for the leather jacket, it beats the heck out of packing an extra jacket on the overnight or wearing the flasher coat to bars an resturants.

 

[captjim]

Your right, all are great airlines to work for. But it's not a question of comfort it's about looking PROFESSIONAL. The leather jacket feels great but looks lame.
To all the non-believers at SWA/Jetblue etc..., DID YOU WEAR THE LEATHER COAT DURING YOUR INTERVIEW?? I'm guessing not it would'nt of looked very professional.

Did you wear an airline uniform during your interview?

 

[metrodriver]

I like my leather jacket. Our company gave the choice : leather jacket , no hat or blazer and hat. Only 2 or 3 people went for the blazer and in the winter they all complain about the cold and having to carry an extra jacket for off-duty (which means an extra bag and weight). Leather jacket: take off the decorations and you're good to go. I think it looks pretty good,especially when you see some of the uniforms from some companies that haven't been updated since the 60's, and what really looks stupid are "uniforms" at companies where pilots have to buy their own pants, you see all the different shades of blue, and to make it worse if you have the companie provided blazer with wal-mart pants in different shades.

 

[cl-65link]

Leather, all the way, especially in MSP in Jan. The only thing an overcoat does better is cover the lower extremities

 

[Hovernut]

Anaconda: i'll have to disagree about the leather jacket being better on those cold days preflighting...i go for the overcoat and suit jacket and i'll wager i'm much warmer on those cold blustery mornings then with just the leather jacket and my legs unprotected.

That's why in winter I wear 100% wool pants. Yeah, it sucks having to dry clean them, but they do keep me warmer than the JC Penney Towncrafts.

 

[Deftone45075]

I wear a black wool overcoat, looks sharp and is a lot warmer than a leather jacket. In the early spring or in the fall i'll wear a leather jacket since we don't have blazers available for our uniforms. But I think the blazer would look a bit more professional.

 

[sidseal]

Just get a leather jacket and quit being a pansy. The same people complaining about the look of the leather jacket are the ones who wear faded dockers and doc martins with their "professional" blazers. And for God's sake people, would it kill you to shine your shoes?! You military folks out there know what I'm saying!

 

[T-Gates]

Just get a leather jacket and quit being a pansy. The same people complaining about the look of the leather jacket are the ones who wear faded dockers and doc martins with their "professional" blazers. And for God's sake people, would it kill you to shine your shoes?! You military folks out there know what I'm saying!

I hate people who wear old, faded out pants, and their rarely used Blazer, or Leather Jacket for that matter. Looks like $hit.

--03M

 

[Deftone45075]

Just keep checking Macy's till they put Slates on sale.

 

[328jetdriver]

I would wear either one. Our company doesn't allow leather so I am quite content with my dress coat. I do not think that the leather jackets look bad at all. As for going out on their bombing runs, I did see couple of B-17's parked at the gates. For real guys, the uniforms are changing with the times. Good or bad.

 

[GuppyPuppy]

Leather jackets are for flight instructors, WWII Bomber pilots, and pilot wannabe's. I walk around the terminal and the pilots that I see in the leather jackets look like little kids.

Despite what the Mesa pilots are doing to the profession, we are just that....professionals. Dress like it.

Mayday.

OK dude....take a pill.

Why do you think a leather jacket is not professional? What is your definition of "professional"? Is it any more professional to wear some g@y hat and and out of style suit coat w/flashy stripes?

GP

 

[bobbysamd]

Jackets

I remember one cold Florida day at FlightSafety. I wore my A-2 to work. I got in trouble. Now, you ask, what's wrong with wearing traditional aviation garb to work at a flying job? FSI required all uniformed personnel to wear an official FSI windbreaker. Staff's was dark blue in color. Not as well-insulated as my A-2. Management graciously deducted from our paychecks the cost of our FSI windbreakers.

I had no beefs about wearing uniforms, but the windbreakers didn't look all that good with them. It almost would have been better to wear a uniform blazer, which would have been ridiculous at a flight school.

I still have my FSI windbreaker. I still wear it. I also have my A-2 and I wear it, too.

 

[skeezer]

I am going to keep this short and simple.

Leather jackets DO look good, and they DO look professional (whatever that means these days).

Someone mentioned the dark wool jackets that you can wear at US Airways. Those things belong on the F/As. They look incredibly feminine and send the wrong signals about you.

Peace

Skeezer

 

[surplus1]

For the leather jacket crowd - accessories are essential: 1) you need a video of "12 o'clock high", for layovers; 2) remove the support ring from the inside of your hat (a 50-mission crush is essential) 3) be sure to wear the hat while in flight, and if you don't have one of those WWII headsets -- put your David Clark's over the hat. The accessories complete your image.

For the blazer set - Be grateful that it isn't double-breasted, with 8 emblazoned brass buttons. In case it is, don't forget to bring along a pic of your "boat" (ship) when in public. That way you won't have to talk with folks interested in the Navy. Just show them your boat pic. Carriers are popular, submarines out.

For the sweater w/epaulet set - a pic of your blackhawk makes good conversation. Infrareds over your shoulder add the final touch.

If you're a hat hater - Just be happy that it isn't white. (You won't know what that means unless you're "mature").

Whatever your preference - do remember that Shoes always complete the ensemble. Next round of negotiations you should make that a priority.

Nike's with a little color go well with leather. If you can't get "color", black will do. Can't get sneakers - settle for boots.

For the blazer crowd - Variety is the spice of life. Loafers with tassels are really "cool" for the younger group. If they won't let you do that, settle for the penny loafer variety or a pair of boots, they're cool too. Whatever you do, be sure that the visible material NEVER shines - that's tacky.

Wing tips for the top 100 on the list.(be sure they have leather soles - you can get a long term medical leave that way and collect disability). If you don't like the wing tip, a plain toe is optional. You seniority gives you the right to shine them. (You're even allowed to use the "patent-leather" look - big savings on polish.)

For the double breasted crowd - Sorry, no options. Plain toes only, and like it or not, you WILL shine them. Don't sweat the shining. With your pay scale - your can afford to have it done by that dude in the terminal.

Pants - Overcoats

Under 30 - Baggy, too long, waist line on the hips. (Boxer color optional. No whities. Especially if you wear leather). If you wear the blazer, pants color and material need not match blazer. (Tie doesn't have to match - stains fashionablel). Overcoat optional (you can freeze if you want to). Coat dosen't have to match blazer or pants. Trench coats with belts are cool - at least one size too big.

>30 <40 - Pleats with the Blazer. No pleats with leather. Correct length. Crease optional. Nothing from Wal Mart. (Tie matches blazer or pants - stains optional) Overcoat style optional. Trench coat popular, color matches blazer - sometimes.

>40 <50 - Correct length. No pleats. Creased always. Color and material matches blazer. Clean. Impecably tailored. Nothing from Wal Mart or Pennys. (Tie matches blazer - never stained) Over coat of high quality. No trench coats. Color and material match blazer and pants.

>50 <60 -- Do whatever you feel like doing. Nobody cares anymore and seniority has its privileges. (Suspenders optional) Colorful ties popular during holidays.

Exception -- The double-breasted crowd must ALWAYS wear creased trousers of correct length. Color AND material must match. Pleats are out. Top coat, if used, must also match in color and material. Overcoats match. No trench coats.

Ladies

Younger - Never wear hat; it disturbs the hair style. High heels or low quarter dress shoes. Fashionable is king.

Mature - Hat optional. If used, designed for female and fits. High heels for terminal. Flats for ramp and aircraft. (Hand bag provides storage space).

General

Does it matter how you look? That depends on who's doing the looking.

Afterthought. -- Since we no longer carry "business travelers", and first class is gone or going, maybe we don't need to look like "business people" anymore. Perhaps the more we look like the "leisure set" the better off we'll be?

 

[T-Gates]

I think every one of those observations are right on the mark.


--03M