'Overweight' flight attendants fight back

[Eoin247]

http://www.cnn.com/2011/TRAVEL/03/02...x.html?npt=NP1

Thai Airways International is catching heat for imposing weight restrictions on its 6,000 flight attendants. Those who don't shape up face the risk of being kept out of the sky.

According to a story in the Bangkok Post, flight attendants who don't meet the airline's body mass index and waistline controls, imposed last year, have been limited to service on domestic and same-day-return flights.

If they don't comply after a year, they will be transferred to ground services.
The 41 flight attendants affected -- 28 of them male -- recently complained to the Labour Protection and Welfare Department that the regulation violated their human rights and decreased their incomes.
They were told the regulation is not illegal and falls within the authority of management, which was concerned about customer service.

Earlier this year, female Thai Airways flight attendants over the age of 45 were given the option of early retirement through a buyout package instituted as part of the airline's drive to rejuvenate its image and save costs.

Some people may not agree but i think that the airlines should have every right to do this. They are giving the employees in question a year to shape up and to be honest if the employees are as lazy as to not really try and lose weight in that time, then they don't deserve their job.

Thoughts?

[Nemo]

I agree with it. I dont see why they're complaining, they're being given time to change, which they probably should be anyway. And its not like they'll get fired, just transferred

[Fez]

At the end of the day it's less about image, because people are tolerant nowadays, and more about the plane being too heavy. More for their own good really.

[Catzsy]

Is this on health, health & safety grounds though or just for vanity purposes?

[Eoin247]

Is this on health, health & safety grounds though or just for vanity purposes?

I think it's for both of those and other reasons from what i've been hearing. It seems to be more for vanity though, as part of their programme to improve their image they have also offered older staff to retire early.

[Catzsy]

I think it's for both of those and other reasons from what i've been hearing. It seems to be more for vanity though, as part of their programme to improve their image they have also offered older staff to retire early.

Well in that case it's kinda disgusting. I think the days are long gone when 'trolley dollies' were employed in airlines.

[dirrty]

i wouldn't want a flight attendants fat ass in my face everytime she/he waddled past, so sure tell em to lose weight

[cocaine]

overweight F/As could pose a health/safety risk in the case of emergencies. to be fair being overweight is unhealthy in its own right, and heavier F/As = heavier load on the airplane = more costly fuel. at $116 per barrel of oil (compared with a 'crisis' in the mid 20th century where it was just $30) each pound of weight an airline can save will lead to a huge amount of valuable capital saved in the long run.

[e5]

Oh! Is this for the employees?! Haha found this quite funny to be honest.

[FlyingJesus]

There are plenty of ways they can justify this under health & safety rules even if image is the main issue for them, and they're not being fired if they don't comply anyway they just won't get to fly