Chinese carrier Hainan Airlines has been blasted by social media users after it was revealed that the airline had introduced new weight and diet rules for flight attendants that could result in crew members being grounded if they exceed their ‘acceptable’ weight by more than 10%.
Hainan Airlines published its latest grooming guidelines earlier this month, telling flight attendants that they had to comply with a form of Body Mass Index (BMI) limit that is based on a flight attendant’s height and weight.
Critics of Body Mass Index and similar forms of weight monitoring say it doesn’t account for muscle mass that weighs heavier than fat which can skew the results.
As well as facing a social media uproar over the new policy, Hainan Airlines has also been questioned by Chinese state media over whether the airline could fall foul of employment law.
State-run newspaper The Global Times claimed the airline had told its flight attendants that the new rules were “based on the significance of maintaining a professional image” and that “Hainan Airlines should serve as a captivating business card to the outside world.”
The formula used by Hainan Airlines to work out an acceptable weight is: height in cm -110 = acceptable weight in kg.
Flight attendants who exceed the standard weight by 5% will be monitored by the airline and weighed monthly to make sure they are losing weight, while flight attendants who exceed the standard weight by 10% or more will be immediately grounded and put on a diet plan.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Hainan Airlines defended the new policy, saying it applied equally to both male and female cabin crew.
“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,” the airline said.
Nonetheless, the policy has faced criticism from many Chinese social media users and legal experts who have questioned why Hainan Airlines dreamt up this idea.
Of course, Hainan Airlines isn’t the only airline to impose strict weight limits on its flight attendants. Last year, Air India introduced new BMI checks for flight attendants, while Malaysian Airlines once fired a flight attendant for being 1kg over the acceptable weight limit.
Dubai-based Emirates also runs a secretive ‘Appearance Management Programme’ that can result in disciplinary action for female flight attendants who go up a dress size.
