Air India Links Promotion to Weight Loss
Sep 25, 2005
Air-India (A-I), the international airliner of India has warned its male flight pursers that if they don't lose weight, they won't get promoted to the post of in-flight supervisor (IFS). Flight pursers are the male counterparts of air hostesses.
An IFS is the management's representative on board of the aircraft and in charge of its cabin crew. The decision on promotions was taken a fortnight ago after A-I found some of its in-flight supervisors so grossly overweight that they couldn't fasten their seatbelts during take-off and landing.
Explaining the recent decision, Company Secretary and General Manager (Public Relations) S Venkat told that A-I has a policy of administering weight checks to its cabin crew. Those exceeding the limit are prescribed internally by A-I's Medical Service Department and advised to reduce their weight within a certain period of time, failing which they can be grounded.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation makes the use of a seatbelt mandatory. In the interests of passenger safety, most airlines carry an extension seatbelt for obese passengers. But that facility is not available on crew seats, which are near the aircraft's emergency exits. Sources say when an IFS is unable to fit into a seatbelt even when stretched to its maximum limit; he simply has to fly without it.
In case of turbulence, a person without a seat belt will be thrown around like a rag doll and, if severely injured, will hamper evacuation from that exit.
Source: http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=150113
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