Hainan Airlines defends flight attendant weight restrictions.
China’s Hainan Airlines, a five-star airline rated by Skytrax, has been accused of introducing a strict weight control policy for its female flight attendants.
The airline recently released a new set of guidelines relating to the appearance of cabin crew. Non-compliance with these requirements may result in inspections or suspension from flight duties.
Hainan Airlines has also implemented a monitoring system for its flight attendants. Those who are overweight by less than 5% will be monitored on a monthly basis, while those who are overweight by between 5% and 10% will undergo weekly weight checks over one month.
Flight attendants weighing 10% over the standard will be immediately suspended and put on a “weight reduction plan” supervised by the company, Global Times reported.
Hainan told CNN: “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 response came after a weekend of building anger online, with Chinese social media users reacting to the initial state media reports with criticism towards what they see as a reflection of the country’s skewed gender norms.
“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 since a crew’s first job is safety.
In recent years, many airlines have taken steps to relax their appearance and uniform guidelines. In September 2022, Virgin Atlantic scrapped gendered workwear to allow staff to wear “the uniform that best suits them and how they identify”
Australian airline Qantas released new guidelines for employees that provide one set of requirements for everyone, abandoning the previously separate regulations for male and female employees.
British Airways also overhauled its rules in 2022, giving crew the choice of what make-up or accessories they want to wear, regardless of their gender.
Alaska Airlines also launched gender-neutral uniform guidelines for flight attendants last year
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