Flight Attendants Protest Boozy Uniforms

Flight attendants for Spirit Airlines are unhappy with a new uniform design that includes aprons that display the logos for alcoholic beverages.

The Association of Flight Attendants chapter at Spirit Airlines said in a news release that the uniforms send the wrong message to passengers and make it harder to enforce safety regulations.

The president of Spirit's flight attendants union chapter accused the airline of trying to turn her and her colleagues into walking billboards. She also took issue with what she called innuendo-filled, "degrading and demeaning advertisements."

"I feel as though I have entered a time warp and am reliving the battles for respect and justice for women that we fought for 40 years ago," Patricia Friend said in a statement. "Several promotional fare ads, with their not very subtle innuendoes, are demeaning."

She also said that flight attendants have a statutory obligation to enforce Federal Aviation Administration regulations regarding intoxicated passengers, and that the aprons interfere with that responsibility.

A spokeswoman for the Miramar-based carrier told The Associated Press that the company stood by its initiatives, which helped it maintain low fares and "keep secure jobs for our valued employees."

The Detroit News reported that the Budweiser insignia was among the logos on the new aprons.

The flight attendant conflict comes the same time as news that union pilots at Spirit Airlines want to mount a strike against the airline.

Spirit pilots represented by the Air Line Pilots Association just rejected a new contract proposal from management, calling it a move to force deep concessions in pay, benefits, and work rules, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported.