Originally Posted by
WorldTraveler
I'll be the first to admit that physical attractiveness and fitness isn't the highest criteria in the FA hiring profile. But have you looked at your seat mates lately? In the past month, I've flown with pilots with bad joints, organ transplants, morbidly obese and hearing aids.
Agree. But many of the silverbacks that commute to the base I do can't even lift their bags above their shoulders into the overhead. Not all, but some. Is that safe?
Originally Posted by
WorldTraveler
Are the girls at TAM, Virgin, Singapore, etc nicer to look at? Yeah. But here is the reality: In the United States, our laws and our principles around civil rights value these people even though they may not meet our cosmetic standards.
Again, agree
Originally Posted by
WorldTraveler
So, just like the 55 year old pilot I fly with who has various ailments, these people are our colleagues, they are trained professionals and as we saw with USAirway in the Hudson, I'd trust them with my life, no questions asked. As such, they deserve our respect.
They may be trained professionals, but just like the fat bastard guys we fly with, do you think you could count on an old, overweight, out of shape FA to get an emergency exit open?