Podgy Cabin Crew

[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?

[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]

Over weight Cabin Crew

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

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]

"the ideal cc would be a tiny wee thing"

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]

Equal Opportunities ! -

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...

[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???????

[SFBdolly]

Equal Opportunities - In Law

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]

Follow your dream.

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]

Weight Issues

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