Air India Fat Shames 130 Flight Attendants – Grounding Them Because They’re Overweight
Air India is penalising a large number of its cabin crew for being overweight – and plans to relieve them of their in-flight duties and give them a job on the ground instead.
The state-owned airline has announced it will be removing around 130 flight attendants, most of which are women, because their body mass index (BMI) levels are above the limit the airline’s set.
Air India has defended its decision by saying its to do with safety concerns and recent government regulations, but critics are outraged with the discrimination, calling it a “shallow”, “ridiculous” and “shockingly sexist” act.
The airline claims it gave its staff plenty of warning as 600 of the company’s 3,500 cabin crew members were told last year that they needed to lose weight within six months or risk being grounded.
But as far as we know, the “warned” employees weren’t given any help in achieving this goal – it seems like the airline just expected the weight to fall of them.
“About 130 of them failed the reassessment,” an Air India official told The Telegraph. “We are now declaring them permanently unfit for their job as flight attendants. People who are fitter can respond quicker and more efficiently in case of any untoward situation.”
The airline deems a “normal” BMI for a female flight attendant to be between 18 and 22. For men, the “normal” bracket extends up to 25. Exceed these figures and you’re either overweight or obese, which apparently 130 or so of its cabin crew are.
Note that the NHS says a “healthy” BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9. And as some of the world’s best health experts, we reckon they’re probably a tad more knowledgeable about this subject than an airline.
We can’t help wondering if it’s more about looking good than the safety of the passengers on board.
According to a member of the All India Cabin Crew Association, the grounding of the staff members is “ridiculous”.
“Any industry insider would vouch that Air India flight attendants are the best, mainly because of their long experience,” the association member told The Telegraph. “So, this guideline and the management’s decision to follow it to the letter is unacceptable.”
Do you think this decision to ground so many staff members is fair? Tweet us at @YahooStyleUK.
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