Starvation could land one a job

Aeroflot (Russian Airlines) was recently dragged to court by two of their female cabin crew because their salaries were cut down. The reason was that they were now overweight and the airline decided to downgrade them to fly only on local routes instead of international ones, hence a lower pay package.
The women felt unlawfully discriminated against and demanded compensation.

The airline defended its decision, saying that passengers preferred thin and good looking staff, and that these overweight attendants were ruining the image of this prestigious airline.
I could not decide if this was a matter to laugh at, or cry about! The issue of women being discriminated against at work is not a new matter, but the weight excuse is indeed a new one. At this point, I must confess that during my many years of travel, I have been in situations where I too, judged the staff. It was more to do with their age rather than what they looked like. There are a few airlines that seem not have an issue with weight and age, one such airline is EgyptAir.

Do the looks matters
On some of their flights one could easily assume that the senior crew could be the grandmother, while her daughter and granddaughter were also serving on the same crew. For me it was more the issue of mobility and passenger safety that seemed to be a concern. Although experience is important, quick reflex and swift action in cases of emergencies seemed difficult for crew with advanced age.
I saw the same case while flying domestically in the US and Australia.

The above cases; I must say the staff were kind and attentive. While I have met younger and very stunning staff who were arrogant and impolite.
We were once visiting friends and stayed with them for a few days, at the same time they received another guest who came for a one-day visit. She was a senior cabin crew member with one of the famous airlines. She was in her early 50s, beautiful and very thin. When it was breakfast time, our host had prepared a colourful table with all kinds of healthy options such as fruits, nuts and cereals. The guest also had a colourful breakfast of her own, pills, vitamins and supplements; she did not eat anything from the lovely spread. When it was time for supper, another delicious spread was laid in front of us, all eyes, albeit secretly, were peaking at her plate that was empty most of the night. she had a bit of salad and a full avocado.

Starving because of competition
Later on, I really had to ask her why she was starving her body to this extent. She looked at me, determined and strong, and said: competition my dear, competition! Do you know how many young and good-looking crews I must compete with every day? The answer seemed logical, but the logic was sad. In any case, I have put some alarm bells in my head and will try not judge these staff any more, they are doing a job like any other person, we must respect them, and in case they mistreat a passenger, just ask for the stationary on-board, and then stare at their badge to note down their name. That will correct the situation, immediately.

Russian case
“The court acknowledged that professionalism cannot hinge on clothing size,” Irina N. Ierusalimskaya said after the verdict. Two attendants, Evgeniya K. Magurina and Ieursalimskaya, and Ierusalimskaya won small awards — 22,000 rubles (about Shs 1.3m) and 16,000 rubles (about Shs1m) for compensation and damages.

editorial @ug.nationmedia.com