Airline tells cabin crew: if you're fat, you're not flying

Weight restrictions for baggage may be all well and good, but Thai Airways is taking it one step further - by enforcing new weight allowances on its cabin crew.

The airline has set a limit on Body Mass Index (BMI) - a height to weight ratio - as well as maximum waistline measurements for all flight attendants.

For female cabin crew, BMIs must not exceed 25, and waistlines must be less than 32 inches. Men, meanwhile, must have a BMI of under 32 and a waistline below 35 inches.

According to recent reports, the airline is implementing these measures because it wants to 'improve the personality' of flight attendants, as well as boost passenger safety. It claims that flight attendants have to be agile enough to evacuate passengers within 90 seconds in the event of an accident.

Members of staff who do not meet the new regulations will be 'demoted' to domestic flights and same-day services. If, after a year, they still do not comply with the weight guidelines, they will be moved to ground crew.

The new rules haven't gone down well with staff. So far, 41 flight attendants (28 of whom are male)who did not meet the limits have filed a complaint with the Thailand Labour Protection and Welfare Department. They say that the airline's directive requiring them to bring their weight down violated their employment contracts as well as their basic human rights.

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Fair enough or an infringement on human rights? Tell us what you think!