"Yes sir, that will be the 4th row from the back.  Enjoy your show!"

Theater usher?  That was my first thought upon seeing page 5 of our new 'Look to the Future' booklet that was recently sent to all of us by Brookhurst, Inc.  That, and on page 10:  "May I take your order, sir?"

Okay, so I probably sound a little harsh...but the two stripes on our uniform jackets meant something.  Maybe not in a strict military chain-of-command sense, but nevertheless something very crewmember-like in the eyes of the passengers.  Our uniforms had a logical flow of authority, denoting the rank of the vessel's crew:

• Captain = 4 stripes
• First Officer = 3 stripes
• Flight Attendant/Cabin Crew = 2 stripes
• Onboard Manager = 1 stripe (I'm kidding on this one!)

I'm sure our new uniforms were based on FLIGHT ATTENDANT FEEDBACK and a long, intense selection process.  However, what's lacking is the results of that feedback.  I mean how many flight attendants/customers polled?  What was the response rate?  What was the voting breakdown and how were the uniform poll questions worded?  Get the picture?  Cause someone decided to remove the stripe insignia and I think that was a poor idea.

Our Senior Vice President tell us that someone named Rebecca Decker did the design work and the result is a "blast from the past".  The back of the brochure elaborates:

We reconnected with nature's peaceful tones by integrating the elegance and peaceful serenity of the sky and sea.

What a description!  Sounds more like  a Robert Frost poem.

Or how about this next quote, also on the back of the brochure:

At this time, we feel we have created a look to assist you to achieve balance and harmony in your environment.

What? What?  About the only way to achieve 'balance and harmony' in our cabin environment is for our lawmakers (backed by our airlines) to enforce strict passenger behavior standards.  You know, like refusing judges to allow Identical Twin Hick WannaBe Models who assaulted several United Airlines flight attendants to get back on board an airplane!

Okay, off my soapbox and back to the point (i.e., the other soapbox):  In all fairness, the men's new shirt design looks pretty good.  The shirt/tie match together in a Regis Philbin sort of way.  But should we really do away with white?  Check out this quote from one of the top U.S. corporate image consultants, John T. Molloy on page 80 of his bestselling book, 'Dress for Success':

White shirts are so effective they must be put in a separate category.  Our more recent tests have not only confirmed this, but given us additional positive information about white shirts.  Anyone who is selling an important product (which, of course, includes themselves) or appearing before an important group, and wears anything but a white shirt is being very foolish.

Even blue shirts, which are the best second choice, do not test nearly as well as white.  Men in white shirts are considered by almost everyone to be more intelligent, honest, successful and powerful than men wearing any other color.

When IBM first put in its white shirt rule everyone laughed at them---and IBM laughed all the way to the bank.

So ultimately, I guess it comes down to a matter of taste.  You pick your favorite color.

As for the women's dress, I can't really say much.  The photographs in the slick brochure do not present a single in-focus image from head-to-toe of the redesigned dress.

I will say this: given the financial situation this airline currently faces (losing $292 million in the past 3 months) and the more urgent matters requiring our attention, I'm not sure this uniform change is such a advantageous idea at the present time, whatever the colors.   Ditto for a 16-page full-color booklet---designed, printed, and mailed to 26,000 employees.