It's always fun to see what fashion was like 'back in the day'. Even more interesting is seeing how that fashion or style has changed over the years. So, to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Air New Zealand's London - LA flight route we have some pictures of the airline's changing style through the decades since it first took to the skies. Check them out below:
Air New Zealand fleet in 1946
Uniform
1946-1949 - The First Six Female Flight Attendants Employed by TEAL
AirNew Zealand’s heritage can be traced back to April 1940 when its forerunner airline, Tasman Empire Airways Limited (TEAL) was incorporated.
The first six female flight attendants wore long black double-breasted jackets, ties, knee length skirts, and a military-styled hat. Influenced by WWII, the look was formal and military.
In 1947, the government established National Airways Corporation (NAC) to operate domestic air services to complement TEAL’s international service. The two would later form the basis for today's Air NewZealand.
1949-1958 - The Solent Flying Boat Days
In 1951 TEAL commenced a flying boat service from Auckland via Fiji and the Cook Islands to Tahiti, known as the "Coral Route”.
Retaining the military look, a single-breasted jacket and optional tie was introduced to the second uniform.
1958 – 1961 - Post-War White and Clinical
The uniform of the late 1950s was heavily influenced by the post-war era with female cabin crew wearing what resembled a ‘nurses’ outfit – clean, white and clinical.
1961 - 1970s - First Designer Uniform Created by Christian Dior
In April 1965, TEAL was renamed Air New Zealand and continued operating solely international services. 1965 also heralded the beginning of the jet era for Air NewZealand, with the arrival of the first DC-8 jet aircraft.
To mark this growth, Air New Zealand introduced the first designer uniform, created by international fashion house Christian Dior.
Tailored, elegant and timeless, the teal-coloured suit was worn with a white blouse, leather gloves and a signature hat, and delivered a new level of sophistication and style.
1970s - NAC’s ‘Lollipop’ Era
Vibrant, fun, bold and colourful, the uniform of the 1970s reflected the age of liberalisation.
AirNew Zealand staff wore short A-line dresses in a range of pastel colours including lilac, orange, pink and aqua. Each dress had a distinctive frangipani embroidered on the cuff.
Short A-line dresses were also favoured by NAC. These ‘lollipop’ or ‘jellybean’ uniforms as they were known were vibrant in bright lime green, pink and blue, and were worn with a distinctive helmet-shaped hat, knee high white boots or black loafers.
1973 - 1976 - First Uniform Created by a New Zealand Designer
The first uniform created by a New Zealand designer was introduced in 1973.
Vinka Lucas created a stylish, uniquely different uniform collection featuring a double-breasted jacket with 12 buttons worn over a dress and a bright yellow blouse. The ensemble was completed with a bonnet-styled hat and a double-breasted cape.
1976 – 1985 - The ‘Wave’ Era
Following the 1978 merger of Air NewZealandand NAC, a new, distinctly ‘eighties’ uniform was introduced. Bright, bold and loud, the uniform featured a distinctive wave print, reflective of the airline’s South Pacific heritage.
Up until this era, the male uniform remained relatively unchanged, their uniforms resembled what pilots wore - black suits, white shirt and tie, and a peaked round ‘captain’s hat’. However, in 1976 a teal/green suit was introduced, worn without the ‘captain’s hat’.
1985 – 1992 - The Isabel Harris 80s Look
Created by New Zealand designer, Isabel Harris of Thornton Hall, the mid 1980s uniform featured Air New Zealand logo print blouses with classically tailored suiting - a look reminiscent of the ‘power dressing’ 80s era.
Male staff wore a blue suit with a large white Koru adorned on the chest pocket.
1992 – 2010 - The Pacific Wave
This uniform, created by New Zealand designer Barbara Lee, was first introduced in 1992 and refreshed in 1996 with the introduction of Air New Zealand’s Pacific Wave livery and a slight length lift of the skirt. The look delivered a new sophistication and contemporary image in the blue/green colours of New Zealand.
2011 - Present - Contemporary and Feminine
The new outfits were designed by New Zealand fashion designer Trelise Cooper and were introduced to coincide with the introduction of a new fleet of 777-300 aircraft in 2011. The shocking pink dress with floral print design is described as "contemporary" and having a "greater expression of femininity" according to the airline's spokesman, Chris Myers.
Cabin
1940s -
2012 -
Fun Facts about Air New Zealand's London flights over 30 years:
- Frequency - Air NZ moved from two flights per week from London to LA to daily flights - 384 flights were made in total between 1982-1986 but a much larger figure of 5,096 flights were made between 1998 and 2012.
- Innovation - Celebrated as the 'Ritz of the skies' in the 80s, Air NZ continue to offer customers something special with our futuristic seat designs including the Skycouch (the world’s only lie-flat Economy option) and Spaceseat as well as the state-of-the-art onboard entertainment system.
- 30 years of Fine Dining - Air NZ served 770,400 servings of NZ lamb and 288,750 pounds of NZ cheese since 1982.
- Passengers - Air NZ is no stranger to famous faces - over the past 30 years the airline has carried more than four and half million passengers on the route including thousands of actors, sporting personalities and rock stars; a dozen princesses and princes and one British Monarch. Queen Elizabeth II took her first commercial flight on NZ1 accompanied by 28 members of the Royal Household and 384 fare-paying passengers.
For more information or to book your next flight with Air New Zealand, visit www.airnewzealand.co.uk
Tell what you think about the changing style of flying on Air New Zealand and if you've travelled with the airline before tell us all about your experience in the comments below, or tweet us @FemaleFirst_UK
FemaleFirst
Shabana Adam @Shabana_FAM