Hainan Airlines flight attendants take height measurements. Photo by Reuters
Hainan, the fourth largest airline in China, has been criticized following its cabin crew’s guidelines that suspend female flight attendants if they go over the weight limit.
The female flight attendants of Hainan Airlines will be grounded if they are 10% above the standard weight limit. The weight of a flight attendant is decided by the formula of height (cm) minus 110 = standard weight (kg), The Strait Times reported.
Hainan Airlines issued the guidelines in early June in an effort to regulate the weight of female flight attendants and maintain a “professional image”. There are also male attendants, but it’s not clear if the guidelines also apply to them.
The guidelines on weight standard for female flight attendants have been heavily criticized in China, with many condemning it as a form of weight and sex discrimination.
One netizen wrote on Chinese social network Weibo: “No need (or such guidelines. A thin and small flight attendant who does not have enough strength may not be able to serve passengers well and maintain order and safety in the air.”
This is not the first time that an airline has slapped weight requirements on its flight attendants.
In 2022, former Emirates flight attendants claimed that they were given two weeks to lost extra weight or face pay cuts if they failed to do so.
