'No fat crew allowed'
2006-05-18 12:01
New Delhi - State-run Indian airlines has warned its air hostesses and male stewards to shape up or be grounded, an airline official said on Thursday.
The airline has withdrawn a 3kg excess weight grace and decided to ground the cabin crew members if they are found to be exceeding their ideal weight by even 1kg, The Times of India newspaper quoted Vishwapati Trivedi, the airlines chairperson and managing director, as saying.
Indian sets their employees' ideal weight based on its own standard.
Once a monopoly, Indian airlines' market share has plunged to 30% after several privately owned airlines moved into the booming aviation business. The airline - once called Indian Airlines - recently changed its name to simply "Indian."
"We are part of the service industry and we have to be more presentable. So we are trying to get the cabin crew members to be fit," Trivedi said.
The overweight person would be taken off flight duties and given 45 days to shape up, he said.
"Repeated violations of the weight limit would attract a more severe punishment," Trivedi said, hinting at ground duties for those who fail to trim down.
Ashok Sharma, the airlines' general manager for public relations, confirmed the newspaper's account.
- AP