Summary:
New Delhi, Jan 24 (PTI) Air India has decided to check grooming and measure the body mass index (BMI) of cabin crew members at the airports just before their flights, according to an official order.
The carrier"s two unions -- Air India Employees" Union (AIEU) and All India Cabin Crew Association (AICCA) -- on Monday wrote a letter to Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) Vikram Dev Dutt opposing the order on the grounds that it is dehumanising and in violation of rules prescribed by aviation regulator DGCA."BMI is a person"s weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in metres.
A high BMI can indicate high body fatness," stated the website of US" Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The order dated January 20, 2022, has come days before Air India"s hand over to the Tata group, which acquired the carrier in a competitive bidding process last year.
Cabin crew, who are well dressed and well groomed according to uniform standards and regulations, present a positive and professional image of the airline, the order stated."It is therefore emphasized that, all cabin crew adhere to uniform regulations communicated by the circular dated November 18, 2019," the order noted.
The January 20 order was sent by Vasudha Chandana, Executive Director -- In-flight Services, Air India, to all cabin crew members in the carrier."Grooming associates have been assigned the task of recording observations on the BMI management/grooming/uniform turnout of cabin crew when they report for a flight or standby duty at CCMCO (Cabin Crew Movement Control Office)," she noted. These observations must be compiled and sent to her office, she stated. Each cabin crew shall be observed or assessed once on quarterly basis, she noted.