Turkish Airlines Grounding 'Heavy' FAs

It's been a tough road for the airlines... and after alienating God and everybody in search of a few extra shekels, it seems that its time (again) to turn on their own. ANN has been monitoring reports concerning Turkish Airlines and their recent efforts to lighten their load... by asking their cabin crews to do the same.

Media reports are surfacing with the claims that Turkish Airlines officials have demanded that 28 of their Flight Attendants lose weight... or their jobs -- and have "given them six months to slim down or face reassignment."

A Telegraph of London story notes that, "the employees, 13 of whom are women, are on unpaid leave in Turkey until they lose weight, the Haber Turk daily newspaper said. All of them previously had been warned to shape up, it added." Media reports attribute the airline as adding that, "Weight and height are important factors at all airlines... These criteria are important both in terms of appearance and the ability to move about."

The weighty demand has caught none other than Izzet Levi, the head of the flight attendants' union group -- who has found himself placed on leave until he loses some 22 pounds. If accomplished, Levi would return to active flight duty a more airworthy 210 pounds...

The airline has not responded to ANN inquiries as to whether FAs who fall well under the mean flying weights might actually get to share in some of the cost savings, as a result... but we're not holding our breath.

FMI: www.turkishairlines.com