Thank you for flying Delta Northwest - please check in those extra pounds.

First of all, I know this blog is going to be more superficial sounding than some of my other blogs, but I think it's a substantial topic to discuss.

Now, I'm all for self-empowerment - it's encouraging to see that slowly, women of all sizes are starting to be accepted in the mainstream as being beautiful. However, how practical is it to hope to find a middle ground on how people perceive weight?

I'm not sure who else has heard about this, but I've just recently read about a union of flight attendants with Northwest Airlines (recently acquired by Delta) filing complaints about the following dress in their work attire
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Flight attendants are complaining that this outfit is only available in a small size 18, and would like the designer women's suit to be offered in up to a size 28. I think we've all come to accept that "real women" come in all shapes and sizes - the union's representation stated that "...the job isn't about being sexy. It's about safety."

I also concede that we can agree on the previous statement - being a flight attendant is, after all, about keeping passengers safe, and as long as one is able to perform, then weight shouldn't be a problem. There are, however, a few nagging issues with this.

First of all, flight attendants, stewards, and stewardesses are part of the hospitality industry, which also requires that they have the ability to make people feel comfortable. While not many will feel open disdain or offense toward being around plus-sized women, it may approach the edge of people's comfort zones.

Consider the following responses when some were asked how they would react to a size 28 flight attendant in the above photograph.

"A girl? I'd think it would be a cross-dressing man..." (Emy, 65)

"If I saw that I'd be staring dumbfounded as to how they even had a flight attendant that size and then wonder why they chose that outfit." (Candie, 23)

"Well I'd be a little wide eyed and then turn to whoever I'm on a plane with and see if their reaction is the same as mine. I'd try not to smile but I'd kind of wonder why she would be wearing it in the first place." (Sofia, 17)

"I dont think they allow women that size to be flight attendants, do they?...Flight attendants have to squeeze through small spaces!" (Ava, 24)

I don't think that plus-sized women are in any way incapacitated, or otherwise unable perform everyday jobs, but I also think that there are reasons for preferential treatment towards more petite-framed women pushing the carts through the aisles during your flights. Besides the face-value judgment that passengers have questions about flight attendants of such size, there are also more practical questions that come to mind.

While it may seem trivial and much like splitting hairs, airlines are trying to cut down on expenses in these tough economic times, and one of the most immediate ways of doing so is decreasing the weight on board during flights. Below are some examples of the things they are doing.

• More restrictions of carry-on baggage; if it can't be stowed properly, it won't be checked it. I know from experience that many airlines are much more strict with this.
• Replacing metal utensils with plastic utensils for mealtime
• Thinner magazines kept onboard at each seat
• Changing material of upholstery to lighter fabrics and plastic
• Fewer pillows and blankets, made of lighter, cheaper material
• Shorter seatbelts
  

Now, all the effort of replacing all of these things on a plane costs a considerable sum, even in the short run - purchasing disposable flatware on a regular basis, reprinting duty free catalogs, reupholstering and entire plane - and still probably yields less than 100 pounds of difference in the overall weight of the aircraft in flight, a figure which could be attained by hiring a size 8 flight attendant instead of a size 20 flight attendant.

Businesses care about the numbers, and if a decision makes passengers more comfortable and at the same time reduces fuel costs in the long run, can we really begrudge the penny-pinching?

Sources:
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Some-NWA-flight-attendants-apf-1099900293.html?x=0&.v=3
http://www.seattlepi.com/business/198400_fatfliers05.html