No visit to duty-free, wear minimum jewellery: Air India's new advisory for cabin crew

After India’s national airline Air India was formally taken over by the Tata Group last month, the airline seems to be going through a major makeover.

On Sunday (February 13), Air India issued a new advisory for its cabin crew to improve the airline’s on-time performance.

In this latest advisory from Air India, the cabin crew has been told to wear minimum jewellery, not to visit the duty-free or drink and eat before the guest board the aircraft.

According to the advisory, firstly, the uniform regulations demand that the cabin crew should wear just minimum jewellery to avoid any delays at customs and security checks. Further, they should not visit duty-free shops to be able to proceed to the boarding gate soon after completing immigration and security checks.

Moreover, the cabin supervisor must ensure all cabin crew are present in the cabin. The crew must not consume beverages or eat food prior to or during guest boarding and assist in swift boarding and seating of guests.

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These latest rules come in the wake of a new company circular mandating Body Mass Index (BMI) and weight checks for cabin crew members by “grooming associates” just before embarking on flights.

In a company-wide communique on January 20, the executive director informed the All India Cabin Crew Association (AICCA) that each cabin crew member would now be subjected to BMI and weight checks on a quarterly basis.

“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,” said the communique.

The reason given by the Air India management was that cabin crew who are well-dressed and well-groomed according to uniform standards and regulations, present a positive and professional image of the airline.