An airline’s latest policy regarding its flight attendants’ appearance has left many people flabbergasted. Air India recently announced that their cabin crew would have to start paying close attention to their weight unless they wanted to be on the receiving end of a pay cut.
According to multiple reports, flight attendants working for Air India will have to keep an eye on their Body Mass Index (BMI) readings, as guidelines now require that they be within a certain “range” to be compensated at all. If you’re thinking it only applies to bigger bodies, think again; being too thin is grounds for pay being withheld as well.
Air India cabin crew will reportedly face leave without pay if they are underweight or overweight based on BMI readings following its new Cabin Crew Health and Fitness Compliance Policy, which takes effect on May 1. The policy categorizes a BMI range between 18 and 24.9 as “normal” and acceptable for flight, per airline guidelines obtained by The Economic Times.
Meanwhile, a reading below 18 would be considered “underweight,” and a reading between 25 and 29.9 would be classified as “overweight.” The airline’s policy would define a BMI reading of 30 or above as “obese” and not acceptable for travel, resulting in an immediate removal from active flight rosters and loss of pay.
Individuals who find themselves removed from flight rosters would have to submit to medical tests, including blood sugar and lipid profile checks, within seven days to determine underlying health risks.
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Crew members categorized as “underweight” or “overweight” could be deemed acceptable to fly after passing specific medical and functional evaluations, but the new guidelines would require them to be derostered and placed on leave without pay if they failed to meet the new standards. The controversial new policy was apparently launched as a way to promote a healthy lifestyle among staff and maintain an appropriate weight category.
“The current policy, in the interim, serves as a preparatory measure before the policy with enhanced fitness standards is implemented,” the policy stated. Staff members with BMI readings of 30 or higher are also required to take medical tests, including blood sugar and lipid profile checks, and an assessment of underlying health risks.
Air India will give staff outside their acceptable BMI range 30 days to return to a “normal” BMI range. If they do not meet the criteria in that time, they will receive a formal caution letter. If staff still don’t comply with the regulations after another 30 days, a final warning will be sent.
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The American Medical Association (AMA) pointed out how BMI falls short and adopted a new policy encouraging doctors to avoid relying on BMI alone to diagnose obesity. One of the reasons is that BMI was developed based on the bodies of white men, meaning any other ethnicity or sex might not find it to be tailored to them.
“The problem is not BMI itself, but the tendency to use it as a single focus,” explained Wajahat Mehal, MD, director of the Yale Metabolic Health & Weight Loss Program.
Mehal continued, “BMI is just one data point, along with many others, that needs to be considered to determine a person’s health.” A better health assessment would be to look at a person’s blood pressure, cholesterol, and glucose. “All these things start to create a complete picture of a person’s overall health.”
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Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.
