This topic highlights the uniforms worn by EL AL flight crew and ground personnel from the start of EL AL’s flight operations in 1949 to the present.
As with other airlines, EL AL’s uniforms have changed over the years, reflecting style and color preferences over time. Since 1949 EL AL has gone through four main uniform phases. Variations exist within each phase. Also, uniforms are not changed for all personnel at once, so usually there is some overlap between the old and the new.
Phase One — 1949 to December 1957
This was a period of startup and austerity for the State of Israel and its national airline, EL AL. The EL AL uniforms during this period were usually gray or bluish-gray. However, during the first three years, 1949-51, some uniforms included tan or dark blue.
EL AL’s first uniforms upon the start of scheduled service on 31 July 1949. Crew pictured in Paris. Men’s shirts were tan, in a military-like style, while pants were tan or a bluish gray. Women’s uniforms were usually bluish gray. (EL AL Archive (‘EL AL’))EL AL’s first Purser, Herb Kweller, at left, and first flight attendant, Miriam Gold, at right, 1949. Postcard back. (Ex-Herb Kweller collection; Marvin G. Goldman (‘MGG’) collection)EL AL Flight Attendant Carmela Moyal, 1949. The ‘flying star’ wing on her hat. made of enameled metal, was the first issued by EL AL, in early 1949 before scheduled service began. (Ozzie Goldman Photo)EL AL flight attendants Chaya Tarnar and Miss Fuchs wearing EL AL’s second style of hat badge, 1950. (Ozzie Goldman photo)Two EL AL flight attendants, about 1950, in a rare color photograph from this era. (EL AL)Dark blue pants and skirts were sometimes used during the 1949-1951 period. (Joe Carroll (third from left) and Pythia Peay collections)Flight attendant Tova Mizrachi in dark blue uniform in first flight to Eilat, 28 February 1950. (Israel Government Press Office)EL AL crew on first flight to Athens, November 1950. Note the mix of light and dark colors in the uniforms. (Arne Fager collection, via Rolf Larsson)EL AL crew in dark blue uniforms at Nairobi Eastleigh Airport en route to Johannesburg, probably fall 1950. (EL AL)EL AL crew (with three executives) on first flight to Johannesburg, November 1950. Here the uniforms are gray or bluish gray. (Henry Jacobs photo; MGG collection, via Livia Eisen Chertoff)
With EL AL’s introduction of Lockheed Constellation aircraft in December 1950 and early 1951, the airline settled in to always using gray or bluish-gray uniforms.
Flight crew wearing the earliest uniforms during Constellation service, 1951. (EL AL)Purser Herb Kweller in the men’s uniform style during EL AL’s Lockheed Constellation era, 1951. (EL AL)Flight attendant Livia Eisen Chertoff in women’s first uniform during EL AL Constellation era, 1951. (EL AL)
Phase Two — December 1957 to October 1969
EL AL introduced strikingly beautiful navy blue uniforms in December 1957, simultaneous with its introduction of new Bristol Britannia jetprop aircraft. The cloth hat and coat ‘wing’ insignia with gold thread continued to be used with the new uniforms. New gold color buttons with the flying star logo were added. Coats were generally double-breasted for men and single-breasted for women.
EL AL Captain Sam Lewis in the new men’s uniform introduced December 1957 upon the launch of Britannia jetprop aircraft service. (Sam Lewis collection)New female flight attendant uniform, aboard EL AL’s jetprop Britannia, December 1957. (EL AL)EL AL female flight attendant hat in use during the Britannia jetprop and early 707 jet era (December 1957 – October 1969). (MGG collection via fight attendant Victoria Shifftan and Yigal Levy)EL AL navy blue uniforms in use from December 1957 to October 1969. Pictured is the crew of the nonstop New York–Tel Aviv stage of the maiden scheduled passenger flight of EL AL’s first pure jet 707, 4X-ATA, on 15 June 1961. (MGG collection via Capt. Danny Rosin)
Phase Three — October 1969 to Fall 1984
The late 1960s and early 1970s featured new bursts of color and styling in the uniforms of many airlines. In keeping with this trend, EL AL introduced totally new uniforms on 12 October 1969. Women flight attendants and ground hostesses received new colorful uniforms designed by Gideon Oberson to complement the jet age. The distinctive women’s hat was described as ‘reminiscent of this space-conquering era’. Miniskirts were in fashion. Flight attendant uniforms featured an orange suit in summer and gray in winter, an orange blouse for summer and mustard for winter, an orange wool ‘space age’ hat, and black accessories. Women ground personnel uniforms featured cornflower blue and lime green, with blue hats. Scarves were introduced for all women for the first time.
In contrast, male uniforms were a conservative blue, with single-breasted coats, designed by Pierre Balmain. New cloth hat and coat insignia were introduced, featuring the EL AL block logo and silver thread.
New colorful uniforms for women were introduced by EL AL in October 1969. Here are summer uniforms featuring orange for flight attendants and blue for ground personnel. (EL AL)New orange uniform introduced October 1969 for women flight attendants. Pictured is Zahava Shilon. (EL AL)Side view of the famous ‘space age’ hat for flight attendants introduced October 1969. (MGG collection)Ground hostesses wore blue coats and skirts with matching blue ‘space-age’ hats.In fall and winter, gray coats and skirts replaced the orange.Male crew for both the flight deck and cabin wore conservative dark blue uniforms with silver wings and trim.
In the early 1970s, however, the miniskirt went out of fashion, and taste in colors changed as well. About 1973 EL AL modified the women’s uniforms. Skirt hemlines were lowered, the coat style was changed, with top pockets introduced, and for the first time women inflight and ground crew could choose to wear either skirts or pants. The modified uniforms were phased in gradually. At first the warmer months’ orange color and colder months’ gray color for flight attendant uniforms were retained, but they were soon changed to gray or brown worn year-round, while retaining the orange only for the hat and introducing thin orange stripes on the blouse. The color for ground personnel changed to shades of blue or brown or gray. By the end of the 1970s the wearing of hats became optional. Meanwhile, the men’s uniforms stayed the same as those introduced in fall 1969.
About 1973 EL AL introduced different style orange coats with top pockets, and longer skirts. The orange color for coats and skirts or pants was soon changed, however, to gray or brown. (MGG)The modified orange uniforms introduced about 1973 also featured orange-striped blouses. (EL AL)EL AL ground hostess uniforms as modified starting about 1973. Note the longer length skirts and the choice of skirts or pants. The jackets featured top pockets, matching those of the flight attendants. (EL AL)The three EL AL women flight attendants in this photo are wearing the style of uniforms in use from about 1973 to fall 1984, but in the color that soon replaced the orange. The men are wearing the uniforms in use from October 1969 to fall 1984. (EL AL)
Phase Four – Fall 1984 to the Present
EL AL made another major uniform change in fall 1984. The dominant new color became navy blue for both men and women. Blouses and shirts were white. Vests were introduced for both male and female flight attendants, and new style scarves for women. Hats fell completely out of fashion for flight attendants and ground hostesses. New wings and other insignia were introduced, with gold returning as the trim color of choice. The new uniforms were designed by the Israeli firm Bagir, and the scarves by Israeli artist Ruth Rahat.
The new uniforms were phased in gradually. Also, several variations in uniforms occurred during this period, in both style and the depth of the blue color. At times some coats were double-breasted while others were single-breasted. Different scarf and tie designs appeared from time to time.
The two flight attendants at right are wearing the new women’s uniforms introduced in fall 1984. The captain at left (Amitai Levin) still has the pre-fall 1984 men’s uniform. (EL AL)Captain’s hat and coat introduced with the fall 1984 uniform change. Pictured is Capt. Shmuel Cohen. (EL AL)Ground crew uniform in use in late 1980s. (EL AL)Capt. Arie Oz and flight attendants pictured in 1994. The gold stripes on flight deck crew and purser uniforms were thin from fall 1984 until changed to thick in 1999.In summer 1994 light blue coats were introduced for pursers and certain other flight attendants; however, this lasted only a few years. (EL AL).In January 2000 olive green coats with black pants were introduced for flight attendants, but this variation proved to be unpopular and lasted less than two years. (EL AL)By 2002 cabin crew uniforms reverted to navy blue. The gold coat stripes for flight deck crew and pursers became wide from 1999-on. Pictured here in 2004 is purser Yigal Levy.At the end of 2013 a few fashion changes were made to the uniforms and scarves. This 2014 photo shows the EL AL crew that flew Pope Francis from Israel back to Rome. These uniforms are still current as of early 2017. (EL AL; Photo by Sivan Faraj)
