Suspended air hostesses lose case

New Delhi: Indian Airlines has won a court case against air hostesses who objected to being suspended for being over weight, but the battle continues.
Air hostesses are questioning several basic problems, like why does physical fitness count for so much more than experience?
Forty-nine-year old Sheila Joshi needs to lose four kilos in the next three months. Three times a week she works out at a gym. She’s also on a diet.
Three months ago she was grounded as an Indian Airlines air hostess for being three kilos overweight. If she doesn’t shed the excess baggage she will be fired.
Indian Airlines refused to comment on the case. But all airlines state that weight issues are more of a safety concern than a cosmetic value.
”There are practical reasons why such things are done, it’s to do with safety. You have to be athletic in case there’s an emergency. And that you will be able to do only if you are in good shape. Every airline has its rules, which is made clear to the employees and it’s upto them to follow it,” said Bruce Ashby, President & CEO, Indigo Airlines.
03/07/07 Neha Khanna, Tanima Biswas/NDTV.com