As part of a new policy that has triggered a massive backlash online, flight attendants employed by the Chinese-owned Hainan Airlines could be suspended from their work duties if they gain weight.
Reports of a recently imposed body weight requirement first surfaced in the state-run media outlet, Global Times. They claimed flight attendants who exceeded that “standard limit” for cabin crew body weight by 10 per cent would be immediately grounded from their travels.
The Global Times reported the policy only applied to female flight attendants, but a spokesperson for Hainan Airlines told CNN the “weight reference standard” applied to all flight attendants regardless of gender.
Hainan Airlines implemented the weight requirement as part of an effort to implement and control a “professional image” for their cabin crew.
The policy came in the form of an equation to measure a flight attendant’s height and weight: “height (cm) -110= standard weight (kg).” If a flight attendant is 158 centimetres tall (nearly 5.2 feet) — the average height of a Chinese woman — their weight reference standard would be about 106 pounds (48 kilograms).
Flight attendants less than 5 per cent above their predetermined weight standard will allegedly be monitored by the company on a monthly basis, complete with workplace weigh-ins. At over 10 per cent, cabin crew members will be grounded and put on a supervised “weight reduction plan,” according to the policy.
Hainan Airlines said the policy was “based on the standard human body weight reference and matched with the healthy weight range measurement for the crew.” The airline continued, claiming the policy is to monitor employee “health, physical shape and posture.”
“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 statement reads.
NBC News reported the policy to control an employee’s weight is illegal in China and may constitute workplace discrimination.
This month, Chinese social media sites have been flooded with complaints about the Hainan Airlines weight standard. Many Weibo users argued a flight attendant’s weight is no one else’s business, so long as they can meet all service and safety requirements for the job.
The Hainan Airlines weight policy has also triggered comparison with recent updates to the dress codes and appearance of flight attendants employed at many companies outside Asia.
This month, the Australian airline Qantas revoked an older company policy about employee dress codes. In the new guidelines, all cabin crew members, regardless of gender, must follow the same regulations. Every staff member can now have long hair and wear makeup if they choose to.
In March, Alaska Airlines ditched male and female uniforms in favour of a gender-neutral dress code.
In China, however, flight attendants — including those at Hainan Airlines — must meet height and attractiveness standards. They must also possess a bachelor’s degree (which is not required in Canada) and pass a difficult, government-run English exam.