=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This article was sent to you by someone who found it on SF Gate. The original article can be found on SFGate.com here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=3D/news/archive/2003/10/01/f= inancial1230EDT0114.DTL ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Wednesday, October 1, 2003 (AP) American Airlines weighs plan for pilots' doffing hats (10-01) 09:30 PDT DALLAS (AP) -- For American Airlines pilots who've had to give up some pay as the world= 's largest air carrier averted bankruptcy, another issue is now topping their concerns -- whether to bare their hair. Pilots are split over a proposal to do away with their military-style hats. While a majority wants to toss their caps, as the Dallas Morning News reported Wednesday, a vocal minority urges keeping them, according to a survey conducted by the airline this summer. Hat advocates say it's an issue of professionalism. The $70 headgear is a symbol, much like their wings, they say. Pilots who support the proposal to make caps a fashion option say requiring them is outdated and meaningless. They point to Jackie Gleason's bus driver character from "The Honeymooners" as an example. "There are ... guys that ask, 'How much authority did Ralph Cramden have? And he wore a nice hat,' " said Sam Mayer, a member of the Allied Pilots Association who asked the union to adopt a uniform opinion. The association's board of directors responded recently by narrowly endorsing the hat-optional proposal, union officials said. American's management says it won't vote on the matter. Either pilots wi= ll be required to wear them or hats will be banned. "In an effort to maintain standardized and uniform appearance, it's an all-or-nothing proposition," the airline wrote employees. Going hatless is nothing new. Flight attendants scrapped their hat requirement decades ago. But for some people, the idea of pilots without hats is disheartening. Stan Herman, president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, is one of them. "I think the hat is the last vestige of authority that pilots do have. It's the one piece that keeps them separate from everyone else," said Herman, who helped design pilot uniforms for carriers such as United Airlines, JetBlue Airways and the defunct Eastern Airlines. American's chief pilot, Mark Hettermann, will have the last say on the issue, and he's not saying whether he's for or against the proposal. Hettermann has been in the job for less than a month and the hat debate will be one of the first issues he discusses with the pilots and the APA. Hat etiquette varies among carriers. Pilots of Houston-based Continental Airlines have the option of not wearing a hat during the summer, but must wear it during the winter, while Federal Express leaves the decision up to individual pilots. Last year, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines decided to follow suit. "The chief pilot sat down with our union, and they had a big discussion," said Linda Rutherford, a Southwest spokeswoman. "They put it to a vote, and the majority did vote to make it an optional item." =20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2003 AP