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!!!!

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:

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!!!!!!!!

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.

Discrimination against fatties
 

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