September 9, 2025, 4:39 am | Read time: 5 minutes
You might have noticed: Bearded pilots are a rarity. The same goes for cabin crew members. TRAVELBOOK knows the reasons why.
There are several appearance requirements that candidates for flight attendant positions ideally should meet. Most airlines require cabin crew members—who are still mostly female—to meet a minimum height requirement. Additionally, airlines such as Lufthansa and EasyJet prohibit visible tattoos or piercings. TRAVELBOOK explores this topic in detail in this article. Regarding facial hair, many airlines have guidelines for crew members. In other words, it’s no coincidence that you rarely see flight attendants or pilots with beards.
Overview
Why Pilots and Flight Attendants Rarely Have Beards
Anyone who delves into the topic will quickly come across a case from 1978. Trans World Airlines (TWA) had suspended a pilot because he had a beard. “Before March 1978, TWA had appearance regulations for flight officers that prohibited them from wearing any type of beard,” according to the online database for U.S. legal topics “Law Justia,” where the case is documented. The suspension did not withstand an appeal at the time. However, one of TWA’s arguments—that the pilot’s beard posed a safety risk—continued to be discussed.
Also interesting: In case of cabin pressure loss–how long oxygen masks last
Beard and Oxygen Mask–A Safety Issue?
In 1987, several years after the TWA case, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) addressed the issue. In a publication, it presented findings from a study that examined the impact of beards on the effectiveness of oxygen masks, showing that the device’s performance decreased proportionally with beard length.
If this is true, the rare but not entirely absent sight of bearded pilots and flight attendants could be interpreted as airlines being lax with the safety of their employees—and potentially passengers. That can’t really be the case. Yet, rumors about a connection persist.
“Pilots can’t wear beards because they can’t properly fit oxygen masks in emergencies. Fact or myth?” asks Swiss Chair Airlines in a Facebook post. Commenters are divided. “Of course pilots can wear beards,” some confidently write. Others believe there’s a lot of truth to it. There’s no resolution there. TRAVELBOOK provides it here.
Why Hawaiian Airlines Pilots Must Say Goodbye to Their Beards
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Concerns Now Resolved
In fact, safety concerns have now been resolved. Thirty years after the FAA circular, another study reached a completely different conclusion. This was conducted on behalf of Air Canada, where a strict beard ban had been in place for employees. Research leader Sherri Ferguson and her team investigated the burning questions: Do the devices used in the aviation industry provide enough oxygen to protect bearded pilots in the event of cabin pressure loss from oxygen deficiency? And also from, for example, carbon monoxide poisoning if the cabin fills with smoke from a fire?
The answer was: yes. In-depth studies with participants who had varying beard lengths led researchers to conclude “that facial hair does not affect the effectiveness of an oral-nasal face mask.” This is detailed in a press release from the responsible Simon Fraser University (SFU). For Air Canada, the study was the basis for changing its guidelines for flight personnel, it further states. Since 2018, male crew members have been allowed to wear beards—as long as they do not exceed a length of 1.25 centimeters.
Individual Company Rules Depending on the Airline
It seems stricter at the airline where “Mentor Brady”—a pilot and user of the portal “Airline Pilot Life“—flies. He doesn’t name the company but quotes from his flight operations manual. It states: “Beards and goatees are not permitted. No facial hair growth (of any kind) is allowed below the upper lip.” His explanation has nothing to do with safety. “When it comes to professionalism, passengers often have higher expectations of pilots,” he speculates. “They must be a person of confidence, authority, reliability, and maturity who makes the right decisions and safely transports them from point A to B.” Apparently, a clean-shaven face can convey this more.
Lufthansa Allows a Well-Groomed Beard
And what about Lufthansa? TRAVELBOOK asked a flight attendant working there. She wishes to remain anonymous. There is no beard ban at the airline—instead, the rule is that a beard, if present, must be well-groomed.
Mentor Brady knows that it’s different at airlines such as Hawaiian Airlines or Allegiant Air—bearded pilots are common there. And even airlines that generally prohibit beards sometimes make exceptions. “For those inquiring about religious exceptions and/or exceptions for medical reasons, your argument might be worth a try,” the expert says.