Mega-carriers in the Middle East such as Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar Airways are known for their incredibly strict uniform and grooming standards. When a group of cabin crew from one of these airlines walks through an airport terminal, heads turn as passenger…
Mega-carriers in the Middle East such as Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar Airways are known for their incredibly strict uniform and grooming standards. When a group of cabin crew from one of these airlines walks through an airport terminal, heads turn as passengers and flight attendants from other airlines alike marvel at just how put together they are.
The level of control that airlines in the region have over the appearance of their cabin crew is incredible. Nothing is left to chance, down to the length of a crew member’s nails, the type of manicure they are allowed to get, the color of blush they use, and the style they wear their hair in.
Most of the rules dictate what female cabin crew look like, but male crew members aren’t ignored either. For many years, male crew members at Emirates and Qatar Airways have even been banned from having beards… simply because that’s not the look that these airlines wanted of their male crew.
That specific prohibition on having a beard is, however, about to end at Qatar Airways on November 1.
In a leaked internal memo, the Doha-based airline told cabin crew that it was introducing a “new chapter in personal style,” which the airline acknowledged as a “long-anticipated update” that recognizes “individuality while continuing to uphold the polished, professional image that defines our cabin crew around the world.”
In a statement, the airline added: “Qatar Airways aims to keep its standards sharp, and our cabin crew are an important part of that process. We can confirm that from 1 November 2026, male cabin crew will be able to wear a neat and well-groomed beard.”
Until now, male cabin crew have been required to be clean-shaven, with the exception of a neat mustache, and have even been required to have a shaving kit with them at all times, just in case a five o’clock shadow starts to appear during the course of an ultra-long-haul flight.
One tricky issue for male cabin crew looking to take advantage of the new freedom will be finding the time to grow their beard. The new rules still prohibit stubble and patchy beards, so male cabin crew will probably need to use annual leave to grow their beard out before coming to work with their new facial hair.
While this might not be the most important news ever, it’s certainly an example of how even the most rigid airlines are adapting to changing times and are reflecting on how they accommodate workers to better show off their personality and personal style.
This kind of change would have been unthinkable when Akbar Al Baker, the airline’s former chief executive who transformed the carrier from a small regional player into one of the world’s biggest airlines, was in charge.
Al Baker took a keen interest in his cabin crew, with even the smallest details not escaping his scrutiny. Some of the policies under the Al Baker period were certainly controversial, with cabin crew under curfew in their accommodation before flights, and requests to get married reportedly personally approved (or rejected) by the CEO.
When Al Baker suddenly stepped down in 2023, his successor, Badr Mohammed Al Meer, promised a new era, easing the curfew requirements and lifting a ban on cabin crew posting photos and videos of themselves on social media.
Al Meer barely lasted two years before being replaced by Hamad Ali Al-Khater, the youngest ever chief executive of Qatar Airways, who may well have a different take on the style requirements of cabin crew than his predecessors.
Don’t expect Qatar Airways to go the way of many Western airlines, however. Allowing visible tattoos remains unthinkable, while exacting makeup rules for female crew are very likely to remain unchanged.
Etihad Airways was the first of the Big 3 Middle East airlines to allow male cabin crew to have beards, with this change taking effect back in 2019. Emirates continues to bar male cabin crew from having beards, although a neat mustache is permitted.
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Mateusz Maszczynski honed his skills as an international flight attendant at the most prominent airline in the Middle East and has been flying ever since... most recently for a well known European airline. Matt is passionate about the aviation industry and has become an expert in passenger experience and human-centric stories. Always keeping an ear close to the ground, Matt's industry insights, analysis and news coverage is frequently relied upon by some of the biggest names in journalism.