GoAir, an Indian low-cost airline, has announced its decision to only hire female flight attendants to save money on its fuel bill. As male cabin crew are 33lb to 44lb heavier than their female counterparts, GoAir anticipates that carrying only female cabin crew will save 30million rupees or £330,000 a year. Other strategies that the airline is employing to make planes lighter and therefore cheaper to fly include cutting the size of its in-flight magazine and only filling its water tanks to 60%.
Clearly a European airline would not be able to implement such a discriminatory policy. However, in the case of companies without such legal restraint, with heavy downward pressure on costs in the airline industry it will be interesting to see whether other airlines follow suit.
