Saturday, June 02, 2007
Indian court rules against overweight air hostesses
Daily Times Monitor
LAHORE: An Indian court ruling has upheld national airlineâs decision to ground overweight female flight attendants, BBC news reported on Friday.
The ruling affirmed the state owned Indian Airlines right to take measures in view of the flight safety and competition from a growing number of private carriers. The flight attendants had argued that the derogatory of their professionalism. The airline had initiated a system of measuring air hostesses based on their height and weight last year. However, the Delhi High Court ruled in favour of the airline, saying that with aircraft flying at higher altitudes, the safety of the passengers depended on the crewâs ability to perform.
âNo airline can afford to remain lax in any department whatsoever, be it the personality of the crew members of their physical fitness,â Justice Rekha Sharma said. âIf by perseverance, the snail could reach the Ark, why canât these worthy ladies stand on and turn the scale.â Growing debate The female judge also dismissed the flight attendantsâ contention that the airline policy towards their weight was an âinsult to their womanhoodâ.
âI do not understand how it is any way unfair, unreasonable and insulting to their womanhood if they are asked to control their growth.â A year ago, Indian Airlines introduced strict weight guidelines for its flight crew, saying they were doing it in the interest of safety and growing competition. The Indian airline industry has grown rapidly over the past decade and new private airlines have introduced an element of glamour, hiring young slim air hostesses, often dressed in short skirts and high heels.
In contrast, Indian Airlines flight crew are dressed in the traditional sari and are allowed to fly until they are 58 years old. The group of air hostesses who had challenged the airline had argued that it was an attempt to replace them with younger crew. One of them was grounded after flying for 25 years, despite being only two kilos over the prescribed limit.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007\06\02\story_2-6-2007_pg4_11
Indian court rules against overweight air hostesses
Daily Times Monitor
LAHORE: An Indian court ruling has upheld national airlineâs decision to ground overweight female flight attendants, BBC news reported on Friday.
The ruling affirmed the state owned Indian Airlines right to take measures in view of the flight safety and competition from a growing number of private carriers. The flight attendants had argued that the derogatory of their professionalism. The airline had initiated a system of measuring air hostesses based on their height and weight last year. However, the Delhi High Court ruled in favour of the airline, saying that with aircraft flying at higher altitudes, the safety of the passengers depended on the crewâs ability to perform.
âNo airline can afford to remain lax in any department whatsoever, be it the personality of the crew members of their physical fitness,â Justice Rekha Sharma said. âIf by perseverance, the snail could reach the Ark, why canât these worthy ladies stand on and turn the scale.â Growing debate The female judge also dismissed the flight attendantsâ contention that the airline policy towards their weight was an âinsult to their womanhoodâ.
âI do not understand how it is any way unfair, unreasonable and insulting to their womanhood if they are asked to control their growth.â A year ago, Indian Airlines introduced strict weight guidelines for its flight crew, saying they were doing it in the interest of safety and growing competition. The Indian airline industry has grown rapidly over the past decade and new private airlines have introduced an element of glamour, hiring young slim air hostesses, often dressed in short skirts and high heels.
In contrast, Indian Airlines flight crew are dressed in the traditional sari and are allowed to fly until they are 58 years old. The group of air hostesses who had challenged the airline had argued that it was an attempt to replace them with younger crew. One of them was grounded after flying for 25 years, despite being only two kilos over the prescribed limit.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007\06\02\story_2-6-2007_pg4_11
