In early September The management of the German low-cost airline presented all employees with absolutely white branded Puma sneakers. At the same time, while office workers are allowed to wear sports shoes when they wish, flight attendants can only wear sneakers during working hours on select days, the so-called Sneaker Flydays.
The first such Sneaker Flyday will take place only on October 7, then it will repeat on the first Friday of every month. On all other days, flight attendants are required to wear traditional work shoes: black leather high-heeled shoes or dress shoes.
The airline says it was Puma who actually gave the sneakers to employees as a token of gratitude for their resilience and dedication during the pandemic .
“Sneakers symbolize the changing zeitgeist that combines business and casual style with a casual dress code,” — explained a spokesman for the Lufthansa Group low-cost carrier.
Icelandic airline PLAY is also dressing its flight attendants in light-coloured Nike-branded sneakers as part of the world's first gender-neutral flight attendant uniform. Japanese low-cost carrier ZIPAIR is allowing its crew to wear white sneakers alongside more traditional shoes.
Interestingly, while sneakers are only popular with low-cost carriers, they have yet to catch on with full-service airlines.
However, I recall the case when Lufthansa allowed flight attendants to wear special Adidas sneakers. The experiment lasted only one day, and that was already in 2018.