Podgy Cabin Crew

[Mile High Member]

Have any of you ever seen an overweight crew or even someone at interview? The reason I ask is I really want to apply for some cabin crew vacancies I have seen. I have never done it before but I think it would be the job of my dreams. Problem is, i'm overweight but I do carry it well. I am on a diet but can't wait til I reach my goal as i'm desperate for a job now and although it will be hard to get taken on with zero experience, I really want to be applying now.

I've got it in my head that if I get selected for an interview, everyone will be thin and glamorous and I will stick out like a sore thumb. I fly regularly and fit in the standard seats no problem but really I don't want to go for an interview and my weight be a problem.

Thanks for reading and any advice you might give :)

[SFBdolly]

Ok, in truth you will not make it pass the interview. I do not know of any UK airline that will take on new crew that carry excess weight. If you are say half a stone over your "ideal" weight, then some may be Ok. But as a general rule no, Sorry. Once your on the in then - well each airline has it own rules re weight gain.../managment. best of luck ...

[bronni]

I wondered about this too, oh well better stick to my diet too!
xxx

[Put1992]

Ive seen a large Air france stewardess.

Must have been 5.6" and slightly overweight

[skyfiend]

I flew Easyjet the other day and one of the girls working onboard was huge. I was surprised as she was so large she had real trouble manouvering around the aircraft.

I suppose it depends what airline you want to fly with?

[HZ123]

Here at BA we have many overweight boys and girls but as said they all started at the desired weight. Just aim to get to your ideal weight that much quicker by applying now. If it is your dream job then I am sure you will be a success. Do not delay apply on line today too as many airlines as you can.

[back2front]

MHM go for it. I work for Virgin and I'm not exactly what you would call skinny! Any good airline will look past this and see your personality and base their decision on how well you perform at an interview. I flew with a girl a few weeks ago who was quite a big girl and she had only been with the company a month so clearly she hadn't 'piled it on' in such a short time.

Good luck and don't worry about your weight. I would also avoid any airline that ask for your weight on the application form. How very dare they:= I'm sure the EU has now made it discrimitory to do this!

[lovethesky]

try ba, i have seen loads of new entrants who are overweight!!!! i dont think ba seems to mind if u are overweight but are able to do the job ok

[DC-10]

At BA the weight restriction is that you are able to strap into a jumpseat - they make you do this at the interview. There are loads of overweight crew so go for it. I was overweight when I started last year and got in ok - have lost weight since I have been flying though which is good!

[smiler76]

That is total rubbish, Gone are the days when at an interview you are asked to stand on the scales before you even get an interview. Being crew is very different from even 10 years ago. I have been with my current airline for 3 years and not once have I been weighed nor do I know anyone who has been pulled up for their weight. Personality is the key that is what people look for these days. Don't be disheartend by mindless comments, it's the same as any job, you can only try and see how you go... Best of luck

[dollydaydream]

I would completely ignore sfbdolly and listen to the other advice given.
You don't say how overweight you are or think you are but there are plenty of overweight cabin crew around so go for it.

Perhaps if you really are overweight you may want to consider the health aspect rather than the aesthetic:)

[Petc01]

Following on from the posts, many airlines now look to the personality and experience rather than weight. The airline I work for are looking for people who are able to handle the situations, ability to work under pressure and are adaptable.

As for weight, we use the phrase 'height to weight ratio'. This means that you should be able to carry your weight for your height. The only test they will do if they think that you may be too large is to ask you to sit on a crew seat and fasten the belts. You have to by CAA regulations sit in a crew seat and fasten the belts without any problems.

If the job is the one you want, then this should be an incentive to be of a weight that you would be happy with and for your own health...you don't have to be thin or glamarous for this job, a smile and determination will get you further.

Good luck.

[Broon Ale]

As someone who's been involved in Cabin Crew recruitment for a number of years, I can honestly say that it's the whole package that matters to an employer, with a good personality at the top of the list of requirements. A good appearance is also important, however, I'm sure any airline will know you don't have to be a size 10 to look professional in a uniform.

If you have nice hair and make-up and you're dressed appropriately you'll stand just as good a chance at an interview as the next person.

The airline I work for has quite a few Cabin Crew who were recruited at a size 16 and provided they don't put on weight (to the extent that we felt it was affecting their health or their ability to carry out their duties safely) then we don't see any problem.

Good luck with your career. :)

[flygirl28]

if you could prove that an airline was not willing to employ you on the basis of weight that would be discriminatory and would be liable to a law suit.....i know that it is still practised by middle eastern airlines who are not governed by the same rules and regs as here, but in this country legally companies cannot get away with it.

[apaddyinuk]

But also remember that it is not just your weight that you need to be watching, your general fitness is very important too. Flying is rather a tough job physically and your initial training will test that. With more and more airlines scheduling their crew to their maximum hours and sectors the job is only going to get more demanding on the body and not to mention your immune system which takes a punch this time of year every year (more so than most jobs).

Unfortunately a lot of people in the job start to neglect their health after a few years of drinking loads downroute, eating rich foods (not to mention crew meals) and just generally being idle outside of work. This has resulted in a lot of problems (particularly at BA where I work) such as crew with high blood pressure, poor circulation, heart problems etc. We even have what we call the "Curse of flying" whereby a lot of crew with these symptoms dont seem to live long after retirement as the body just cannot cope with the change.

If you are starving yourself to diet may I suggest a slight change in tact and instead of starving yourself, just eat more sensibly (good healthy foods with sustainable portions...eg...not over filling the plate) and exercise every day with a long walk or short jog, or perhaps even join a gym and do lots of cardio work. Not only will the pounds fall off you but you will also feel great. And hell, If you dont get the job at least you will feel great all the same and you will be able to reapply elsewhere!!!!

:D

[intortola]

As a frequent flyer have seen many overweight flight attendants, it is how they interact with the passengers that is important, not their size, so go for it and hope you get your dream job.On a recent flight with AA one of the flight attendants virtually went down the aisle sideways she was so large but she had a great personality, and on my last flight with BA the purser was also quite large but again had the personality for the job. I hope the days of size discrimination are long gone.

[lizzieG]

Hi,

I think most airlines require your weight to be in proportion with your height. Go for it,sure you will be fine:ok:

[Shanwick Shanwick]

At Virgin we don't seem to require weight to be in proportion with your height as a LARGE number of new crew are really quite podgy indeed!

[qwertyplop]

What an utterly vacuous thread with a nasty undertone!!

Weight is the least of the problems some cabin crew have if one judges this by the utterly pointless and tedious conversations one has to listen to on the staff bus engaged upon by SOME cabin crew.

Most of you guys do a great job - I'd prefer to see staff judged on their ability to provide good service rather than a bit of excess baggage!!

Arrrgggghhhh...!!!

[W4LLACE]

HEY I AGREE

I want to be a pilot - i have the upmost respect for cabin crew, may I spacificly mention first choice since thats who i fly with alot - ps the pilots have great sense of humour too.

Personally im built like a rugby player - i played rugby, ice hockey and american football - so you have an idea of my figure - i feel this should be a good thing as a visual deterant in the air too surely thats all good in this day in age

[TightSlot]

What an utterly vacuous thread with a nasty undertone!!

Seems a rather harsh judgement there qwertyplop on a thread where a reasonable and genuine question is being answered politely - it's not immediately evident where these undertones that you refer to are?

...utterly pointless and tedious...

Of course, some of the posts that we all have to suffer reading on PPRuNe might be so described - Fortunately we are able to exercise a little tolerance and patience with others, thereby avoiding getting our collective knickers in a twist over nothing very important?


:E

[m500dpp]

Forget cabin crew and lets generalise...........

The best looking applicants for any jobs have an edge. Like it or not it is a fact. Yes personality counts, qualifications count, etc. but if all other factors are equal the "looker" will get the job.

Take a look at any airline web site or advert - now tell me do you see any "podgy" (not my word) crew in the photos.

If you really want to get the job, i think you know that you will need to have the correct weight/height ratio. Not very PC but sorry it is a reality in ANY job you apply for but perhaps more so in the more sought after jobs such as cabin crew...................

[myairways]

I completly disagree. I feel it doesn't matter if your weight is in proportion of you height or around that. I have seen many larger crew as I have worked as Cabin crew for 5 years. I have worked for a couple of airlines alot of the time it depends on the size of the aircraft. So long as you have great customer service experience and also have a great personality you will be great. Believing in yourself will show there belief in you. Good personal grooming is a big key and smile. I wish you all the best apply for which ever you like.

nick

[blimey]

Don't forget, that any load requires about 4% of that weight in extra fuel burn per hour to keep airborne. Hence for a bean counter, the ideal cc would be a tiny wee thing with no luggage, and why it makes perfect sense for crew food to be inedible.

Best of luck

blimey

[qwertyplop]

Mod - I take your point.

BUT - if people want to be taken seriously and treated with the professional respect they feel they deserve - then stuff like this is not going to help in my opinion.

It promotes a stereotype.

It's hard enough to be treated respectfully by one's peers now in the port environment - look at the grief one get's just trying to get into the office if it happens to be airside in the UK!!

Do you consider yourselves as professionals or just eye candy?

[Mile High Member]

Thanks for all your replies :ok:

I am so pleased to see that alot of you think times have changed and I would be in with a chance. I have plenty of experience in customer-facing roles and do like to take care of my appearance so finger crossed! I'm not really bothered who I apply to work for....anyone that will take me really to start with :\

apaddyinuk...i'm definately not starving myself...could never do that! I'm following a weight watchers diet which is brill so if no one takes me on this year, there is always next year when hopefully I will be a healthier size.

Really all your stories have encouraged me even more now and I'm so excited!

[tinyflyerBHX]

Mile High Member my advice is just go for it! If you don't get the job at one airline it's their loss and another airlines gain. I the airline I work for has a number of cabin crew who are not the the slimmest people in the world but they were taken on the basis of their personality and attitude and the airline doesn't want them to change. Good luck and I hope you are flying soon.

tinyflyerBHX

[deltayankee]

blimey: this may have been true in the old days, but with today's security risks from hostile pax and the occasional erratic crew member airlines might see the value in having CC with a few extra kilos. Would the local rugby club be looking for tiny wee things?

[Vizzo]

Seen many. Interviewed and trained with various sizes. Don't worry, the 'playboy' era of this type of job has thankfully long gone. Maybe pax still regard it as glamorous but it is not a word crew would use to describe it nowadays. Anyone who says your weight is an issue needs dragging into this century. Go for it, good luck, be yourself, don't worry about nerves, chat to the other people there as much as you can remembering that you are all as nervous as each other and all on a level playing field, just relay your desire to do the job and that you're not afraid of hard work. Good luck.

[blimey]

deltayankee

Agreed. It's always reassuring to have a couple of big, hairy-arsed members in a crew to provide some needed muscle if required. Even better if they're blokes.

:)

[tightslop]

Due to the new equal opportunities laws now inforce, airlines are no longer allowed to employ a specific stereotype employee. That means thet like virgin atlantic used to be, you'd only be employed if you were beautiful, skinny and blonde! Now employers have to have a certain ratio of poeple from across the board be it plump, skinny, black or white. The airline i wor for had a disabled member of crew working for us, but she proved that she could efficiently carry out the duties related to evacuations, safety and customer sevice. Airlines can not discriminate against anyone now, so you should be ok with whichever airline you apply to.

[Sara Fanta]

Its about doing your job well and with energy.

I personally lost 11 kg before applying for job as cc,before that i was size 14-16 aust. I am now at a healthy weight range for my height.

I CAN tell you being over weight gave me more health problems, made it harder to move around quickly and had me puffed out doing simple activities, while my healthy peers would b fine.

What I am saying is, sure listen to every one go for it and by all meanms dont b a vicyim to discrimination. But DO, do yourslef a favour and stick to your goal. Its great to have a job u want, but it's ideal to be healthy. You just have more energy.

[SFBdolly]

Oh get real... ! ... It may be in law, but in pratice there is nothing equal about it. It's sad but true. My I use an example, take a look at check-in/ground staff. All kinds of people. Take a look at cabin crew. Representive of who ?....Getting better now... :D

[tightslop]

I don't quite see your point SFBdolly

I was stating that airlines are required by law to employ people from all walks of life, which only a few years ago they were not obliged to do. Airlines have a broad range of cultures etc working for them now. I have never stated that they dont. What are you on about checkin /ground staff for???????:ugh::ugh:

[SFBdolly]

Sorry, my point is, we may have equal opps in law, but what really happens in pratice - is or can be worlds apart. Law says, size should not matter during selection, however, take a good look at the intake of new crew.. would you say, most if not all are a H.W.P.... with the exception being the odd one - on the heavy side.

The reason I used check-in/gound staff as an example is, this part of the work force seems in my eyes to be more representive of of the community I live in. However, the crew community seems in my eyes not to be that representative.

And we have laws about that too, again, in the real world, e.t.c,,,

You know (I hope) and I know, it would be near impossable for someone to take some kind of legal action, beacuse they thougth the airline thought they were too fat.

Hope this helps..:)

Now, this of course would not be a open discussion in the USA.. :=

[PC767]

European law dictates that employers, including airlines, cannot discriminate on the grounds of weight alone. I work for BA, though not in recruitment. Recently I was at our recruitment centre when new people were being assessed. It seemed that BA ask you to sit in a jumpseat and fasten the safety straps. If you can do this you are not 'overweight'. I'm male and 15 stone ...... a bit is muscle honest......... and I fit into the jumpseats on RJ100's, B737's, B757's, B767's B777's and B747's. Go for it.... nobody wants an dull stick when a real person is much more fun.

[Shauna]

I worked as cc until august and i pushed myself to loose weight before my interview....i had lost a stone but it wasnt as much as i wanted. I dont look overweight as i am 6ft but i had visions of them weighing me before the interview.

The airline i used to work for had alot bigger girls than me....and my mum flew from LHR to DUB during the week and she said 3 out of 4 of the crew members were definately not skinny.

I find that great. Before my interview i had been worrying about my weight etc...i feel that when wannabes fly and see a cc member a little over weight it is good, it will make overweight people who were too afraid to apply before apply.

apologies about the wording.....couldnt put it together in my head...long day

Thank **** its friday

[a1tone]

I've recently been accepted for BMI Baby and weight wasn't an issue. I'm a male weighing 15 stone, just under 6ft. They were more interested in the way you present yourself and what you can give to the airline.

If I was using governement health standards I am overweight. But in my standard I'm a fit, health man, who has bags of energy and wanting to channel this into my new career, and this was what was looked for in the interview, not wheather I was eating burgers or carrot sticks for lunch.

[White Shadow]

As SLF, I look at cabin crews' face, catch their eye, and smile.
And usually get a nice smile back.
WS

[arewehomeyet]

Hi Mile High Member

Personally I wouldn't worry too much, where I am now we had a person on my training course who is huge and he passed everything and is flying. As long as you can fit into their uniform and pass your exams I don't see it as being a problem.

Good luck with your application :ok:

[alpha99]

Hola

MHM, dont let your weight stand in the way of your passion, in some countries especially in asia and the middle east you have to conform to their strict weight regulations...sadly i feel sorry for those FA's because not only are they too skinny they are not allowed to even put on a kilo or else your:mad:.
SAA and Air Namibia and other airlines in this region have quite sexy succulent cabin crew i mean here its all about the bigger the better but seems some of the superficial western values are starting to seep through now......the size 0 culture....sad hey...oh and always check that an airline has that EQUAL RIGHTS opportunity employer statement... trust me SAA got in :mad: because they didnt adhere to it and employed the guy and had to pay a hefty fine but that was not weight related but HIV related!!!!

[urok]

An interesting topic - one that I feel is being handled a heluvalot more emotively rather than practically!

As a manager at a certain South Pacific Airline where big bones certainly run in the water, Im the first one to say that the personality some of those larger staff has certainly stands them in good stead for a very trying position. The whole life experience thing i suppose - without generalising - many larger people are somewhat more used to dealing with sh!t, and that relates very well to the role.
Unfortunatly, there are many practical implications, none of which have a brass razoo to do with discrimination, or any underhand efforts to keep larger people out of the role. Unfortunalty, Mr Boeing and Mr Airbus really seem to have built their aircraft to the more slender hosties of years gone by. In the airlines Ive worked in, Ive seen at least a dozen people terminated due to their "inability to perform their safety related duties". For example, as has been mentioned, if you cant fit a crew harness, then your off that plane. This might be ok for multi-fleet hosties, but not if you rely on one plane and one harness for your bread and butter.
Ive also seen crew terminated as they weren't of a size that could stand in an evacuation recess (ie, the place where the flight attendant stands as theyre pushing pax out of the burning a/c - im thinking specifically B737 and A320 here) without hindering the flow of an evacuation.
Both I feel are pretty standard requirements for the job... At the end of the day, I say go for gold, especially if you have the personality. Certainly, most airlines will do everything to assist crew they have already hired into the role and who have become big. My last airline would pay for diets and personal traininers and all sorts! But just be aware, as a potential new hostie, that if the size does come up as an issue, its nothing aimed directly at you! Just jump on a treadmill, and switch to lo-carb beer, and youll be laughing!

Good luck! :ok:

[FlyGirl01]

Never an Air France girl!!!!!!!!!!!! But seriously, the emphasis is on health and fitness and as long as you can do the job without being a danger to yourself or others.... It really does depend on the airline though and if you want to work for one with a glamorous image well then there's a certain expectation that you will be able to represent their brand accordingly. there are quite a number of reputable airlines though that aren't so shallow and recognise that they are losing out on some great people and skills due to such snobbery and then there are others who have got into trouble in the past for weighing and criticising thier crew's physical imperfections. One even got taken to court when a crew member held them responsible for her anorexia! So back to the point, you doon't want to be clinically obese because this would affect your capacity to do the job, and if you're unfit you'll struggle with your breathing in the high altitude and no airline is going to want to have a liabilty on their hands should you not be able to cope in the environment, which in turn would affect your enjoyment of the job. if you really want to do this job, opt for a good airline that won't make you feel uncomfortable or self-conscious about your size because that my friend will lead to a whole new set of problems, and then focus on your health and fitness, taking moderate exercise and adopting a balanced diet and healthy (both mentally and otherwise) and realistic approach to your own self-image. Best of luck!!!!!!!!

[Dan D'air]

I recall that a certain airline with a very famous Capt. had a cabin crew member who was huge. Think she went to BMed afterwards.

[jimworcs]

I am a fatty, and I can tell you that it is absolutely NOT against the law to discriminate against fat people. It is against the law to discriminate against ethnic minorities, specific religions, age, gender, sexual orientation but perfectly legal to "discriminate" against fat people. Incidently, if there is a reason, such as requirements related to safety, it is not discrimination anyway. Discrimination implies selection that is based on a bias or prejudice... it is not biased or prejudiced to say that I am too fat to be a flight attendant, it is just factual. Stupid people can't be rocket scientists, but it is not discrimination!

Jimworcs