She works for SkyUp Airlines, one of the youngest low-cost airlines in Europe, but one of the biggest in Ukraine.
It has now decided to replace the old uniform from next month with a far more comfortable alternative. It isn’t the first in Europe to do so, but for Ukrainians, it is a sign that some of the old traditions are being swept away.
When SkyUp surveyed its crews, it turned out that its female employees were fed up with their high heels, tight blouses and pencil skirts.
Solomennaya said that many of her colleagues are permanent clients of podologists. Their toes and toenails are constantly damaged by high heels, she complains. Varicose and spider veins are other frequent ailments.
For Daria Solomennaya, the problems with heels and pencil skirts are obvious.
Sky Up head of marketing Marianna Grygorash explains that flight attendants’ work is not that romantic, it’s hard. They realised that their female flight attendants didn’t want to be seen as sexualised and playful.
Ukraine International Airlines has a big share of the market, and after 30 years of flying it sees no reason to change.
The airline says that their flight attendants have enough time for breaks and their heels aren’t that high at all, they’re rather token.
UIA is determined to cling on to traditions in the airline industry and believes each company should decide its own future.
Tags: Airline News, Europe, leading Ukrainian low-cost airline, SkyUp Airlines
