Post | 01/06/2009 8:45 am

Indian Airline Grounds Hefty Attendants

By The Staff at wowOwow.com

India’s skies aren’t always friendly to larger ladies. The state-run India Air this week laid off nine flight attendants for being overweight.

According to their contracts, the women must keep a trim figure. While such a stipulation smacks of discrimination — and, worse, superficiality — the Delhi High Court has backed the company’s slim-centric hiring practices. The court and airline agree that employing thinner attendants helps them compete with other, privately owned companies. The airline also defended its decision by suggesting the women weren’t, um, fit to do their jobs. "Air India said safety was a ‘prime function’ and that ‘being grossly overweight does have a bearing on reflexes and can impair agility required to perform the emergency functions.’"

The women were plucked from thin air about two years ago, given ground jobs and told to slim down, but apparently missed their mark, because they received their termination letters late last week. The women aren’t taking this situation lying down, thankfully, and have hired a lawyer to fight for their right to be a bit "fat." Lawyer Arvind Sharma insisted yesterday, "The action is illegal and against the natural justice. I will soon file an application in the Supreme Court against the order."

Weight isn’t the only physical marker Air India keeps tabs on — the company announced two years ago that they would not hire people with bad acne or teeth. We wonder how they feel about customers with such afflictions …

Read more about: Air India, Business, Discrimination, India, News

7 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

Sandbee (FB) 54
Are there such regulations applied to the pilots?
By Sandbee (FB) 54 on 01/06/2009 9:01 am
DeBúrca obj
These just sound like the old policies all the airlines used to have regarding flight attendants. In fact, I am sure they’re still in place at least to some extent, at least a weight requirement and a certain, though much looser, dress code.
By DeBúrca obj on 01/06/2009 9:52 am
HA BIBI
Again, you’re wrong on both accounts. One’s weight does not matter and would be discriminant to emphasize against the hiring of one who is considered so. As while one may believe one to be overweight, another would not. A medically healthy individual is more to the liking of the airline, not the weight of one Therefore, the only requirement is that one be able to operate the emergency exits and evacuate an aircraft in 90 seconds or less. No different than the requirement of their thinner counterparts. And as far as uniform standards, they are quite strict and have remained as such over the years. if one is sloppy and unkempt or wearing non regulation articles of clothing, they are swiftly called on the carpet and documented for such.
By HA BIBI on 01/06/2009 4:33 pm
DeBúrca obj
“And as far as uniform standards, they are quite strict and have remained as such over the years. if one is sloppy and unkempt or wearing non regulation articles of clothing, they are swiftly called on the carpet and documented for such.”… exactly my point. Also, the weight thing proves my point. I don’t see where anything you have said here contradicts me.
By DeBúrca obj on 01/06/2009 5:13 pm
Chrome Toe
I’m guessing Indie Airlines is very image conscious BUT… one of my best friends was a flight attendant for 15 years. this has been a topic of conversation in our group more than once. and her thoughts made a lot of sense to me. she says that part of the weight requirement (which has since been voided in the U.S due to our ridiculous political correctness) is due to the fact that flight attendants have to be able to get in between the seats and administer first aid and/or maneuver on the floor of an aisle if need be to do things like CPR or other life saving type things. THAT was super logical to me. As well.. i was recently on a flight where one of the attendants was more overweight than any i’d seen. she probably had a BMI of obese. not morbid obese but obese. she could not get down the aisle walking forward OR sideways without hitting passengers with her hips. it was ridiculous. I think that it is perfectly fine for employers to require employees to be fit enough to do the job. period. I think there SHOULD be requirements for anyone who will at anytime be in a position to have to adminster any kind of life saving help. whether it’s getting passengers off of a plane or administering cpr in an aisle.
By Chrome Toe on 01/06/2009 9:56 am
Belinda Joy
I would have to know how much of a weight gain we’re talking about? For example, we can’t argue its wrong for them to fire a 175 pound women, but say if she were 300 pounds, that makes sense. If the policy is they have to weigh a certain amount and they agreed to it yet allowed their weight to balloon, the airlines do indeed have a right to fire them. Additional weight on flight attendants impacts on their ability to maneuver through tight aisles, service their passengers and contributes to the overall weight of the plane. It’s common for airlines to bump passengers because the flight is deemed too heavy. Not that one particular person is fat, but that the collective total for the plane exceeds regulations as it pertains to passengers and luggage. An overweight flight attendant in those instances is affecting the ability of a passenger to fly.
By Belinda Joy on 01/06/2009 9:59 am
Grande Camper
I wonder if they were told they were fat or told that they were not able to do their job? It is discriminating to say your to fat for the job with no reason behind it. Of course if they said you can not do the job because (reason). Then I sand behind the company as being correct. I don’t know. I need more info.
By Grande Camper on 01/06/2009 10:54 am