Too much curry??

Air India has fired ten of its flight attendants for being “exceptionally overweight,” an airline spokesman confirms to Reuters this morning. The Times of London writes “the state-owned carrier handed the staff their papers over Christmas after they failed to slim down to meet company weight restrictions, which are calculated according to height and age. The cabin crew members had been grounded for months after losing a landmark legal battle in June.”

The fired attendants were offered alternate ground jobs, which they initially refused, according to various media reports. AFP writes the “Delhi High Court last year upheld Air India’s right to reassign overweight attendants, citing clauses in their contracts that barred them from flight duties if they put on too much weight. The court had noted that the state-run airline needed fit attendants to compete with private rivals in India’s fiercely competitive aviation market.”

An Air India official tells the BBC that the dismissed flight attendants were between 24 and 70 pounds heavier than the carrier’s prerequisites. The Telegraph of Kolkata says Air India’s “rules prescribe different weight limits according to the height and age of the air hostesses. For an 18-year-old air hostess with a height of (about 5 feet), the maximum weight permissible is (110 pounds), while for air hostesses between 26 and 30 years and a height of (about 5 feet), the weight limit is (123 pounds).”

Sheila Joshi, 51, is one of the dismissed flight attendants. She had 27 years of service. She says tells the Times she has already gone on a diet to meet the carriers’ guidelines, but says Air India has since tightened its weight rules. “Now, if you are just ten grams over, it’s goodbye,” Joshi tells the Times. “It’s ridiculous: weight is not an infectious disease.”

The Times notes the move comes as “a new breed” of Indian airlines “aims to entice travellers with promises of svelte cabin crew.” One such carrier is Kingfisher. On that note, flight attendant Joshi says: “Kingfisher was founded four years ago. Its cabin crew are all in their twenties. Let’s see how much they weigh in 20 years.”

As for the Air India attendants, some media reports say some eventually relented and agreed to take ground positions, only to have the airline rescind the offer. “We have served the airline for anywhere up to 18 years and had sought ground duty postings. But instead of doing that, (we) have been sacked. This move smacks of vindictiveness,” one flight attendant tells The Times of India on the condition of anonymity.

But the story might not be over yet. A lawyer for the attendants is promising to challenge the decision. “The action is illegal and against the natural justice. I will soon file an application in the Supreme Court against the (sacking) order,” lawyer Arvind Sharma, a lawyer, says to the Press Trust of India.

Source: USA Today