Flight Attendants Publicly Strip Off Uniforms to Protest Layoffs, That’s Why We Always Go Aisle Seat

Our grandpa told us never to start an argument in our underwear. But he’s obviously never seen 50 angry flight attendants protest the sudden takeover of Italy’s famous airline Alitalia by stripping to their skivvies in protest.

The move comes on the heels of Alitalia going bankrupt and selling its name along with half its fleet to the new kid in town, ITA Airways. Owned by the Italian government, the new airline is going full Viva L’Italia, with new uniforms, furnishings, and designs all being handled by local couturiers.

To help offset the cost of this glamorous rebrand, ITA laid off roughly 80 percent of Alitalia’s staff and negotiated deals with remaining workers to substantially cut pay. To protest these actions, dozens of former flight attendants gathered in Campidoglio, in a famous square redesigned by none other than Michelangelo.

On the surface, the protest looks like nothing more than a few svelte flight attendants, disgruntled that they didn’t make the cut for Italy’s new squad of air maidens. But peel back the layers (pun intended) and you can see these women represent not just the anger of squeezed labor in Italy but also the wealth-favoring policies of a government that has continually ripped off its taxpayers.

You see, Alitalia was also once owned by the Italian government. After years of mismanagement, the company had amassed over half a billion dollars in debt. With bankruptcy on the horizon, the government secured a deal with investor cronies to offload its debt onto taxpayers, while taking the profitable sectors of the company private.

Now, it looks like the Italian government is beginning the whole cycle over again, hoping their sexy leather goods and delicious airplane food will give new customers moral amnesia. Of course, the only standing in their way is a few dozen half-naked women. Oh, Italy.

Cover Photo: YouTube
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