Air Canada has been told that it can’t stop flight attendants having a tattoo that will be visible while wearing the airline’s uniform as long as the tattoo is not offensive and it is not on the face or neck. The Toronto-based airline has also been told by a labour arbitrator that it must allow flight attendants to have piercings on top of the single pair of simple stud earrings that are currently permitted.

Flight attendants must comply with Air Canada’s strict personal appearance policy which, until now, banned visible tattoos for fear that the airline’s reputation might be damaged. The airline also claimed the policy ensured that the views and values of its customers were “respected when being served by cabin crew members.”

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents Air Canada flight attendants, took offence to the policy and filed a grievance against Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge in 2019 claiming it was both unreasonable and discriminatory and that there was no evidence that tattoos can “interfere with the ability of cabin personnel to perform their duties”.

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