Delta formally unveiled its new employee uniform program, Distinctly Delta, meant to roll out across 65,000 employeees – with wear testing in 2026 and systemwide adoption in 2027.
There are four lines for different workgroups, above- and below- the wing. They will utilize “Navigator Navy” “Boarding Burgundy” and “Runway Red” (for Red Coats). Plus, new “Powerful Pink” highlights the airline’s partnership with the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, and is worn each October. Notably, they’re bringing back the wrap dress from the early 2000s.
A higher-tier Elite Collection is used for premium service roles — Red Coats, Sky Club ambassadors, and Pursers — with their first coordinated look. And the Delta widget isn’t going away – the uniforms have a pattern that incorporates it.
Scarves, ties, and pocket squares that accompany the uniforms are designed by Missoni, which Delta leans on for inflight amenities. And Bombas is supplying black socks with Delta detailing.
Overall I think these are fine? They’re probably more distinctive than what we see from other U.S. airlines. And I’m not a big fan of the current ‘Passport Plum’ at least compared to the ‘red dress’ that came before it.
Hopefully they’ll get the fabrics for these uniforms right. Other airlines have faced significant complaints over allergic reactions and Delta’s own employees alleged that their most recent uniforms, claiming they ‘bled’ dye in their skin. They reported skin rashes, hair loss, respiratory ailments (coughing, breathing difficulty, vocal cord issues), fatigue, memory and vision problems, and low white blood cell counts. And in a lawsuit, plaintiffs argued there were formaldehyde, chromium, antimony, and mercury in the garments.
However, last month the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit affirmed a summary judgment in favor of the defense – finding that there wasn’t reliable causation (that the uniforms caused the injuries) and insufficient evidence the garments were unreasonably dangerous or defective.
The Zac Posen FA uniforms that were announced in 2017 were ugly. I liked the purple or plum but it was an odd choice since Delta’s colors were always red and blue. The actual design, particularly the men’s jackets and vests, was too modernist — almost sci-fi futurist.
This strikes me as much more classic and really a return to the look that Delta used in the late 2000s through 2017-ish.
Sorry, bit at all attractive.
Call me old school but the Pan Am uniforms of the later 1980s were much better looking.
A million emdashes and “it’s not just x, it’s y”? You better believe that Delta, the world’s most Premium™ Air Line is paying for a ChatGPT Diamond 360 subscription trained in sycophancy and Ed Bastian’s sneaker preferences instead of having normal people write press releases [emdash] and that’s a Premium™ fact.
Great!
Now AA and Delta can share uniforms!
I was on a Delta flight last month and the female FAs were wearing the pink dresses, and I gotta say they were freaking gorgeous. They should wear them all year round.
They look much better than the plum colored ones.
The wrap dress is not great for all figures. At least there will be some choice. I do like the choice of color.
I’ve always been a sucker for a tall blonde in a wrap dress.
You know what’d go nicely with those uniforms? Delta’s flight attendants joining its pilots (since 1934) and dispatchers in finally organizing. Worker protections are quite a stylish accoutrement.
What lack of imagination, I remember admiring Flight crews with designs who clearly celebrated designers from all over the world..
Lack of imagination & says absolutely nothing…
Meh.
To each their own, hopefully the FAs that have to wear them like it. Bombas socks is interesting — not like anyone can see them, but free replacements if they get holes in ’em!
Watching the DL safety video with the legacy uniforms reminds me that DL has had absolutely iconic looks like the simple red wrap dress. They’ve also had absolute flops like with this Zach Posen crap.
New stuff looks nice. Safe. On-brand.
Those scarves are very ugly! The rest looks good.
Better have a maximum size for the dress, sick of seeing fat women parading around in them. There needs to be a greater emphasis on policing their bodies.