I think someone else mentioned that the Company provides Life Insurance and that is why there is additional requirement. One would think that a class one medical provided by CAA approved medics would satisfy the beancounters in admin. However, I believe most companies require additional standards. BA, for example, state quite clearly that the Company medical is to a higher standard than that required by the UK CAA !
Notwithstanding (no pun intended), Companies do use additional medical standards to filter out the unwanted. I have stories of GF & CX doing this for years. HR going to the medics and asking if there is a way to reject certain people. If the reject comes from the medics, they cover themselves by saying that the information is confidential. Your application ceases from that point on.
The quacks are, too, famous for wearing blinkers. They love criteria not proved and you just have to fit the profile. All self perpetuating and self interested with levels of arrogance, absolutely astonishing.
I think as professional pilots, we have done this to ourselves by not, jointly, protesting against arbitrary(no spell check, sorry) medical standards set by Companies rather than approved Licencing Authorities.
As a plump school kid, I passed the RAF medical but resisted a 16 year Commission. I applied to the RN (5 year commission) but failed the medical. Doc said, to quote Shakespear, "There is too much of thee". Perhaps I would not have fitted into a RN Bucaneer.
Different horses for course but this BMI stuff is just plan daft. Oh, and those who judge us, would, in many cases, fail their own criteria.easily !