Grounded for going up a dress size: confessions of Emirates cabin crew

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Describing the airline authorities as “the weight police”, former cabin crew members say their weight was tracked by bosses who put some employees into an “Appearance Management Programme” if they went up a dress size. Another anonymous Emirates source told the website that it’s common for staff to “inform” on each other regarding weight gain. They said that the airline tracks cabin crew who need to go up a uniform size - if this happens within six months or under, “the questions begin”. “They view flight attendants as one of the most visible and most important representations of that brand image to the public.” Though the Emirates website doesn’t give any public-facing information about its appearance policy, it does state in its hiring guidelines that cabin crew should be “physically fit for this demanding role with a healthy Body Mass Index ”, as well as stating that women having to wear heels and “a full face of make-up”.