Skymark Airlines Inc. will soon abolish pilot, cabin crew and ground crew uniforms and give replace them with polo shirts and windbreakers instead, company officials said Saturday.
The unprecedented move, which could happen as early as in April, will allow the airline to pass on the savings to its customers, airline officials said.
The design hasn't been set yet but is likely to based on the airline's yellow logo.
But some fear that the lack of a uniform will turn away more than a few aspiring female cabin attendants.
One 21-year-old female university student panned the plan. "I will not take (Skymark's) recruitment exam if it has no uniform," she said.
Some Skymark employees said that they would miss the uniforms, while officials of other airlines said uniforms are important for their positive effect on morale. "Our employees are holding back from quitting, even with lower pay, because of uniforms," one official said.
Although not having uniforms does not violate Japanese aviation law, transport ministry officials said that it is necessary for employees to wear clothing that sets them conspicuously apart from passengers in case of emergency.
Charlie Furusho, an aerial photographer, said several overseas airlines, such as Southwest Airlines Co. of the United States and some Swiss airlines, have adopted polo shirts for cabin attendants.
