Adil Najam
The 1960s PIA advertisement that had been featured as the ATP Picture of the Day on 12 June, 2006 is one of the most visited blogpost to date.
We had featured a second PIA Ad from that era on June 24, 2006, which is also interesting but got considerably less attention.
Today, as I prepare to catch my PIA flight to Pakistan (this evening) I thought I might repost it. As we have commented on various occasions, the edge has come off PIA. Sometimes one wonders if the wings will too. I hope they won’t; at least not today!
The crew I will encounter tonight will be wearing a different set of custom uniforms, but the PIA crew uniform from the 1960s has an interesting pedigree to it. That celebrated uniform is featured in this PIA ad.
According to PIA literature:
In 1966, Pierre Cardin, the renowned French fashion designer, came up with the legendary fawn and moss green summer and winter uniform edged with turquoise. The uniform consisted of a short, easy fitting “A” line tunic, slim-line trousers and imaginatively moulded dupatta that not only covered heads but also turned heads. The uniform became an instant hit, the slim-line trousers immediately were dubbed as ‘PIA Pajamas’. Fashion-conscious young ladies, all across Pakistan, copied Cardin’s design eagerly. This popular uniform design was used by the airline from 1966 to 1975.
Anyhow, combined with the other one, or alone, what–if anything–does this ad say about how Pakistan saw itself; then and now?
I do not have an exact figure of monthly operational losses incurred by
PIA has currently a deficit of 1 billion per month.. yes thats right 1 billion per month.
as far as PIA serving alcohol is concerned…I would rather that they didnt do that….
as in my experience most western travellers are looking for a reasonably priced airfare…easy and quick check in…less transits and courteous service like the rest of us…
in my experience…more desis are pining for a strong spririt on an airline that the ‘goras’….
ive lost count of how many times Ive seen Desis get rowdy due to them having had one to many….
and by the way…is it just me or has anyone else noticed just how many male PIA cabin crew members have beards…im not talking short neat beards….but big bushy Taliban beards..??