When Delta purchased Northwest Airlines last October, it clearly overlooked one important element during the acquisition: the latter company’s fashionable plus-sized flight attendants.
Before being bought out by Delta, NWA staffers of all shapes and sizes were happily flaunting red dresses designed by Richard Tyler (who coincidentally also overhauled Delta’s drab gray uniforms a few years back). But since the merger, Delta has failed to offer the signature red outfits in a size over 18, causing the Northwest chapter of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA to file a grievance with the world’s largest airline operator.
Patricia Reller, who handles grievances for the union’s executive committee, tells Yahoo, “I think red is an eye-popping color and it’s not subtle, and to me by not offering it in a size over 18, Delta is saying, ‘We don’t want you wearing that if you are over size 18.’ But the job isn’t about being sexy. It’s about safety.”
We’re not sure if red makes one feel any safer on a plane, but the outfits sure do look snazzier than the status quo.
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