Hainan Airlines flight attendants take height measurements. Photo by Reuters
Hainan Airlines, the fourth largest airline in China, has been criticized for suspending female flight attendants who weigh more than company policy allows.
Hainan’s female flight attendants are grounded if they are 10% above the standard weight limit. The limit is height (cm) minus 110 = standard weight (kg), The Strait Times reported.
Hainan Airlines issued the guidelines in early June in an “effort to maintain a professional image.” There are also male attendants, but it is not yet clear if the guidelines also to them as well.
One netizen wrote on Chinese social network Weibo: “No need for 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 an airline has slapped weight requirements on its flight attendants.
In 2022, former Emirates flight attendants claimed that they were given two weeks to lose extra weight or face pay cuts if they failed to do so.
