• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster

2

'Skills nobody can take': Meet a 20-year-old with a 4.5 GPA who skipped college for technical school to land an 'AI-proof' career

3

China suffers another setback in effort to de-dollarize global finance as anchor in the greenback's dominance quietly exits Beijing's payment scheme

1

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster

2

'Skills nobody can take': Meet a 20-year-old with a 4.5 GPA who skipped college for technical school to land an 'AI-proof' career

3

China suffers another setback in effort to de-dollarize global finance as anchor in the greenback's dominance quietly exits Beijing's payment scheme
American Airlines Group

More American Airlines Flight Attendants Are Complaining about Their New Uniforms

By
Madeline Farber
Madeline Farber
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Madeline Farber
Madeline Farber
Down Arrow Button Icon
November 15, 2016, 1:22 PM ET
American Airlines Estimates That 900 Flight Attendants Will Be Furloug
Photo by Scott Olson — Getty Images
Google source logo
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

In September, American Airlines introduced new flight attendant uniforms for the first time in nearly 30 years. But just days after the release, over 400 flight attendants alleged that the new clothing was making them sick—causing both hives and headaches. Now, that number has reportedly grown to more than 1,300.

After the initial complaints, American blamed the issue on a wool allergy. But the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) conducted their own test and found that new uniforms, created by the clothes maker Twin Hill, have detectable levels of chemicals commonly found in pesticides, fungicides, and fertilizers.

“We will continue to invest the resources necessary to get to the bottom of this and we fully expect the Company and Twin Hill to do the same,” the APFA wrote to its members in the notice.

 

Overall, the number of complaints only represents about 1% of the 70,000 employees who are wearing the new uniforms, LaKesha Brown, an American Airlines (AAL) spokeswoman, told Fortune.

“We’re still working on what could be causing it [the issue],” she said, explaining that the airline tested the uniforms twice before mass distributing them to employees, and is now waiting for the results from a third test.

In the meantime, according to Brown, employees can choose to wear their old uniform if they are having problems with the new one. The airline has also offered employees to exchange their wool uniforms for ones made of a different material, like cotton.

“We want our employees to be happy with their new uniforms,” she said.

This article has been updated to reflect comment from American Airlines.

Fortune has reached out to Twin Hill and will update the story if we receive response.

About the Author
By Madeline Farber
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in


Most Popular

Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

    Latest in


    Most Popular

    © 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
    FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.