Airlines don't let pilots have beards or facial hair for an important safety reason

There are likely many traits that you would not want your pilot to have, like being a risk taker, or barely being able to see past the controls. But the one thing you probably couldn't care less about is whether the person flying your plane has a beard.

Yet, this is one of those things that plenty of airlines care a lot about, with almost all of them enforcing grooming standards for everyone in the cockpit. While a few might allow some stubble, the majority enforce a strict clean-shaven policy.

This includes major carriers like American Airlines, Delta, Southwest and United, where there is no medical or religious exemption that will allow you to get behind the joystick of a 747, whether you have a full Gandalf beard or just a bit of fluff.

This restrictive measure is not to reinforce their pilot's suave allure or for reasons of formality, but actually because it is not considered safe for a pilot to have a beard. That is, according to an almost 40-year-old FAA study.

Beards can get in the way at critical moments, a 1987 FAA study found (Getty Stock)

This 1987 study examining 'The Influence of Beards on Oxygen Mask Efficiency' has become the cornerstone of various airlines' justification for banning the beard, with the Federal Aviation Authority ruling that facial hair can get in the way at critical moments.

The study stated: “Bearded crewmembers should be aware that oxygen mask efficiency is reduced by the presence of facial hair.

“Demand masks, such as those used in protective breathing equipment, many times cannot be donned rapidly nor seal effectively when used by bearded individuals.”

These rules are not uniform across the industry, though most US carriers require a clean shave. However, recent years have seen a number of international airlines allow for well-groomed beards, including: Air Canada, British Airways, Hawaiian Airlines, and Allegiant Air.

In addition, so long as they remain trimmed and won't get in the way, many now also allow moustaches. But the FAA have stated clearly if they expect all pilots in the US to keep their faces cleanly shaved.

You will only really see bearded pilots on non-commercial flights (Getty Stock)

A FAA spokesperson said to Thrillist: "We do not have any regulation—like a clean shaving regulation—but a lot of airlines have policies requiring pilots to have no beards or minimal beards to ensure that oxygen masks fit snugly if they're needed.

"We require oxygen masks to be functional, and airlines may take it further and require that pilots be clean shaven or have minimal beards to ensure that."

So the guidelines can vary from airline to airline, with some holding more strict requirements than others. For example, Delta pilots are required to be clean-shaven, though they can have sideburns.

However, these sideburns must meet regulation length. That means not allowing them to reach past the middle of your ear, or you're in violation of the uniform code. Similar rules apply to moustaches, but any pilot in any position of responsibility on board a Delta flight is barred from having even a few hairs on their chin.

While this might seem like extreme lengths to go to follow the findings of a 1987 study, these sorts of highly restrictive measures are the norm in aviation - where the slightest mistake or error can cost hundreds of lives.

Or, as American Airlines told Thrillist: "It's actually safety driven. Safety is one of the biggest, most important things in our industry."

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