MDT06

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2...05/2266566.htm

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India court grounds 'fat' flight attendants

Posted Thu Jun 5, 2008 9:39pm AEST
An Indian court has upheld the right of state-owned Air India to ground overweight flight attendants, a report said.
Lawyers for the airline told the court the attendants were moved from flight duty to ground duty when they failed to meet minimum physical fitness standards, the Hindu newspaper reported.
The Delhi High Court said the attendants' contracts stipulated their jobs could be terminated if they put on too much weight, according to the paper.
The bench, made up of Justice AK Sikri and Justice JR Midha, said the state-run airline needed fit flight attendants to compete with private rivals in India's fiercely competitive aviation market.
"The entry of private airlines in the business has resulted in severe competition," the judges said in their ruling.
The airline "has to meet this challenge by ensuring that its air hostesses and cabin crew members remained physically fit."
"There has been much debate about skinny bodies vis-a-vis healthy bodies, but there is no scope for any debate on overweight people," the judges added.
"It is universally accepted that overweight people have tendency to suffer from diseases," the judges said.



do you think this could happen in the US?

RawTriGuy

Wow! Good for them...

Could you imagine if that happened in the US? There would have an immediate FA shortage because at least 75% of the FA's would be out on the street.

But why stop short of the cabin crew? I am just waiting for the day I am single pilot because my fellow crewmember has chosen the wrong diet and lack of exercise for the past who knows how many years, and decides to have a heart attack (hopefully in cruise rather than on approach). We should all be held to a healthy standard.

I hate to say it but what the last sentence says is true. Overweight people do have tendency to suffer from diseases. And if their rational is keeping a healthy crew they are on the right track.

Sadly it will never happen in the US... Too many lawyers and too much sense of entitlement.

threegreen

i think Indians have the right idea...Reduced weight=reduced fuel burn. Thats good management right there

MiserDD

Just keep feeding the guy in the left seat those bacon double cheese burgers and large fries. Just because the FAA pushed retirement to 65 doesn’t mean we can’t to our part to keep it closer to 60.

Besides, I bet that the union would agree that however long during the flight you were flying single piloted you should get double pay.

RawTriGuy

I hear you! Or at the very least CA pay for that leg!

wxyz

Of course that has to work both ways. If I see one more widget capt waddle down the A concourse in ATL, Im going to puke.

MiserDD

Personally, I love to see that. It means he’s one bacon double cheese burger short of a hart attack which means some FO is one bacon double cheese burger short of an upgrade, one poolie is one bacon double cheese burger short of employment, and one résumé holder is one bacon double cheese burger of getting pulled for an interview.

It’s a three for one win!!!

Feed the beast!!!