Chinese Airline Defends New Policy To Ground 'Overweight' Flight Attendants After Backlash

Female flight attendants who will be found less than 5 per cent overweight will be monitored on a monthly basis while those 10 percent overweight would be immediately grounded

Hainan Airlines imposes weight requirements on its flight attendants/Representational Image

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One of China's biggest airlines has come under fire after it brought a new policy imposing weight restrictions on its flight attendants sparking a public backlash on social media. As per the policy, a flight attendant would be immediately grounded if their weight exceeds that “standard limit” by 10 per cent. Hainan Airlines issued a guideline on professional image screening and control to its cabin crew which included the weight control requirement outlining specific  body size and weight control standards for female flight attendants at different levels.

The policy proposes a standard weight calculation formula for female flight attendants which is "height (cm) -110= standard weight (kg)," and those found exceeding the “standard weight” will be classified and managed by the company, reported Global Times. 

Female flight attendants who will be found less than 5 per cent overweight will be monitored on a monthly basis to prevent crew members from gaining weight. Such flight attendants will be required to conduct a face-to-face review after the one-month monitoring, complete on-site weighing and group review, the company said in its statement. 

But those female flight attendants who are 10 percent overweight would be immediately grounded and the team of flight attendants will assist the crew members to formulate weight reduction plans and supervise the weight reduction effect.

Backlash Over The Policy

A civil aviation employee termed the policy as unprecedented in the domestic aviation industry while a legal expert expressed concerns over the airline's regulation, saying that it imposes additional labor obligations on employees without following proper legal procedures, raising suspicions of its legality, the report stated.

The policy was met with criticism on Chinese social media users who said weight was not important over professional knowledge.

“I just need the flight attendant to be fully qualified in professional knowledge, well-practiced in safety procedures, and wear the most suitable shoes and clothes for emergencies. Her weight is none of my business,” read a top comment on the Twitter-like platform Weibo.

Several users pointed out that being a flight attendant is a physically demanding job that should prioritize the employee’s strength and stamina instead of maintaining low weight – especially in emergency situations, where attendants are responsible for keeping passengers safe, as per a CNN report.

Airlines Provides Justification 

The airline, however, said the measure “cannot be interpreted as a simple criterion to suspend a flight attendant like some media did,” adding, applied to all flight attendants regardless of gender, reported CNN 

The standard is “based on the standard human body weight reference and matched with the healthy weight range measurement for the crew” the airline said, adding that the rules are used to evaluate and manage the crew’s “health, physical shape and posture.”

“This is intended to advocate healthy living habits and maintain a good professional image and healthy physique by anchoring the reference target, rather than passively waiting for individual crew members’ physique to change significantly and then affect safety service work,” it said.