Just when you thought the era of the “trolley dolly” was over, one airline has cottoned on to the idea that sex sells, and another stands accused of discrimination against a cabin crew member management described as “fat, ugly and old”.
None of which, in my opinion and that of the crew member herself, are relevant to her core duties: to assist passengers throughout the flight and, especially, if there is an emergency.
Aeroflot attendant Evgeniya Magurina told the BBC that, along with hundreds of other cabin crew members, she had been re-assigned only to remote domestic routes and faced a 30 per cent cut in pay.
Meanwhile, in Hanoi, some are crediting the early success of recent start-up airline VietJet for its use of bikini-clad attendants.
It has since toned down its advertising — although the staff pictured are all young and attractive — and stressed that the attendants won’t be wearing bikinis for flights into Muslim countries, including nearby Indonesia, giving rise to the belief that it was all just a publicity stunt in the first place.
Nevertheless, we know that women too often get judged on their body size, their physical attractiveness and what they wear.
As far as I am concerned, unless a person — of any gender — is unable to perform crucial tasks in their job, then their looks are irrelevant.
I admit that I’ve been known to be distracted by a pretty woman, but that’s not my priority when I’m travelling by plane. What I find really attractive when I fly is a cabin crew member who is efficient and has a positive attitude to the job.
Remember folks, flight attendants have to do some quite unpleasant tasks, such as cleaning toilets, calming down screaming infants, and dealing with uncooperative drunks and assorted idiots. They also have to do thorough first aid and safety training so they know what to do in the “unlikely event of an accident”.
The least we can do it support them; not judge them by the way they fill out their uniforms.
