Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Air India tells cabin crew to get rid of gray hair
DW ^ | 11.25.2002 | Rebecca Staudenmaier

Posted on 11/26/2022 9:34:23 AM PST by libh8er

Air India is facing criticism over new grooming guidelines for its cabin crew that were published in the Indian media.

The strict rules include five pages dedicated to hairstyles alone, while other sections dictate strict guidelines for what staff are allowed to wear in hotels.

What are the new rules?

All cabin crew have been told to regularly dye gray hair, according to a document published by Indian broadcaster NDTV.

It is mandatory for crew with "frizzy hair" to undergo hair smoothing or relaxing treatments.

"Wavy, curly and frizzy hair cannot be left open," the guidelines state, adding: "Bushy, unruly and unbecoming hairstyles are not permitted."

Bangs on the forehead and side bangs are also banned. Hair pieces and wigs can only be worn if there is a "medical reason" and if they receive written permission from the airline.

"Crew with a very big forehead or scanty hairline should style the front hair with a side sweep and must cover the receding hairline," the guidelines instruct.

Men with bald spots or receding hairlines are also instructed to "keep a full bald look."

"Head must be shaved daily for a clean look. Crew cut is not permitted," the handbook reads, according to NDTV. Beards are also banned except for Sikh cabin crew.

Nose piercings are not permitted. Certain types of religious jewelry are also not allowed.

"Wedding choora, religious threads, black threads, beads on wrist, ankles and forearms are not permitted," the guidebook reads.

Cabin crew who are on leave, but traveling with Air India are also barred from wearing short skirts, "hot pants" and torn jeans.

Controversy online

The new guidelines sparked debates online, with some users criticizing the rules as sexist and ageist. Others objected to the curbs on religious jewelry.

News agency ANI, citing unnamed Air India sources, defended the new rules as necessary to compete on the international stage.

"Air India is the only airline in the country which has been serving the world for many decades. Representations and images of the crew are not as per international standards. The new management wants to change the perception of flyers," one of the airline sources was quoted as saying by ANI.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Travel
KEYWORDS: airindia
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-31 next last

1 posted on 11/26/2022 9:34:23 AM PST by libh8er
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: libh8er

I like some gray on my pilot’s head


2 posted on 11/26/2022 9:36:35 AM PST by al baby (Yes he did he said how come i wasnt invited )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: libh8er

Airline pilots are starting to look really young to me.


3 posted on 11/26/2022 9:38:06 AM PST by marron
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: libh8er

As a general rule, I do not like it when other people feel they “own” me and can make my personal decisions for me. I’ll groom myself, thank you very much — and if it’s a big deal, I guess I’ll go look for a different job.

But, having said that, my bigger concern is that the world today seems to have no standards, no manners, no etiquette, and no respect for oneself or for others. There is no humility. No sense that “others exist, and perhaps I ought to put them ahead of myself”. Instead, so many people seem to think that they are the star of a Broadway show and the spotlight needs to be on them all the time, because they are perfect.

So, in that light, I think that grooming standards are actually good. I think we need a sweeping movement to get people to turn the clock back to something like the 1940s. Be a grown man. Be a grown woman. Look good. Behave yourself. Have some respect.

Small steps make the world better. It’s so much bigger than grooming, but you have to start somewhere.


4 posted on 11/26/2022 9:41:46 AM PST by ClearCase_guy (We are already in a revolutionary period, and the Rule of Law means nothing. )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: libh8er

What about the segment of the population that’s allergic to hair dye?


5 posted on 11/26/2022 9:42:37 AM PST by eclecticEel ("The petty man forsakes what lies within his power and longs for what lies with Heaven." - Xunzi)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: al baby
I like some gray on my pilot’s head

When my dad retired from the Navy after 28 years, he taught at a flight school in Leesburg, VA. He did both ground and in-air instruction.

A lot of students gravitated to him because of the gray temples and lack of visible scars. LOL

6 posted on 11/26/2022 9:47:23 AM PST by Allegra
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: libh8er

Like, pull it out? Gonna need an air marshal for all that...


7 posted on 11/26/2022 9:49:11 AM PST by Libloather (Why do climate change hoax deniers live in mansions on the beach?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ClearCase_guy
I think we need a sweeping movement to get people to turn the clock back to something like the 1940s. Be a grown man. Be a grown woman. Look good. Behave yourself. Have some respect.

I agree, and am willing to up my own game to cooperate. Besides good grooming, avoiding tattoos, hair colors that don't look like Jell-O, I would like to see the return of classic uniforms. Waitresses, nurses (scrubs aren't the same), various attendants, used to wear uniforms that made it clear who was what. Now I go the store wearing a red Knights of Columbus polo shirt and people think I am the help.
8 posted on 11/26/2022 9:50:44 AM PST by Dr. Sivana (What was 35% of the Rep. Party is now 85%. And it’s too late to turn back—Mac Stipanovich )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: eclecticEel

And my brother got bladder cancer from the old formulation of facial hair dye. Since reformulated.


9 posted on 11/26/2022 9:53:53 AM PST by steve86 (Prophecies of Maelmhaedhoc O'Morgair (Latin form: Malachy))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: libh8er

their company, their standards. It is acceptable to me. I wish it happened all over with other standards! Except the Gray hair part!! Being I was fully gray @ 35 years old!!


10 posted on 11/26/2022 9:55:34 AM PST by sit-rep ( )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Dr. Sivana

I totally agree with you re: nurses scrubs. Those look like pajamas and are unbecoming. I want nurses to dress like Nurse Ratched in OFOTCN.


11 posted on 11/26/2022 9:57:40 AM PST by nwrep
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: libh8er

United will take the blue hair 250 pounders in a heartbeat


12 posted on 11/26/2022 10:04:39 AM PST by atc23 (The Matriarchal Society we embrace has led to masks and mandates and the cult of "safety")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Dr. Sivana

Look at it from their point of view: You look like someone who is intelligent and pleasant enough to assist them, not neccesarily the hired staff.


13 posted on 11/26/2022 10:05:29 AM PST by BradyLS (DO NOT FEED THE BEARS!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: libh8er

On Chinese, Singapore and UAE airlines, they just fire the stewardesses when they turn 30.


14 posted on 11/26/2022 10:08:51 AM PST by PGR88
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: libh8er

No bald heads, frizzy hair, bangs, or crewcuts.

15 posted on 11/26/2022 10:32:26 AM PST by Southside_Chicago_Republican (The more I learn about people, the more I like my dog. )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: PGR88

Used to be schoolteachers would lose their jobs when they married. Now, they fire no one.


16 posted on 11/26/2022 10:40:33 AM PST by PghBaldy (12/14/12 - 930am -rampage begins... 12/15/12 - 1030am - Obama team scouts photo-op locations.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: BradyLS
Look at it from their point of view: You look like someone who is intelligent and pleasant enough to assist them, not neccesarily the hired staff.

The orderlies wear them, too. when EVERYbody wears them (except, often, actual doctors) they ALL look like staff. My wife points out that they are often wearing scrubs in public on the way to or from work, eliminating one of the original excuses of hygiene.
17 posted on 11/26/2022 10:42:26 AM PST by Dr. Sivana (What was 35% of the Rep. Party is now 85%. And it’s too late to turn back—Mac Stipanovich )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: libh8er

Before Air India starts in on how old their air crews look, they need to do something about how old the cabins of their aircraft are. We recently flew on AI, and the cabin looked every day of the 13 years old the aircraft was. Trim broken, pieces of the seat falling off, entertainment system nonfunctional, carpets and cushions stained and grimy. Very disappointing.


18 posted on 11/26/2022 10:44:30 AM PST by Little Pig
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Little Pig

Air India for most of its existence was a state run enterprise with quality of service as you would expect (think DMV running an airline). From what I read it was privatized recently amid a lot of protests and new management is trying to remake the airline.


19 posted on 11/26/2022 10:52:13 AM PST by libh8er
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: Dr. Sivana
I should have made my point clearer. I was responding to this part of your earlier post:

...Now I go the store wearing a red Knights of Columbus polo shirt and people think I am the help.

Sometimes, when I go to into a business, older patrons (or of approximate age) will ask if I can direct them or help them to find something. I'm not in the store's livery, either; just "business casual" when it happens. Usually, I can't imagine why they're asking me. Unless I put off the vibe "he might know or could help." Whatever the reason, deserved or not, I've accustomed myself to taking the question as a subtle compliment.
20 posted on 11/26/2022 11:00:56 AM PST by BradyLS (DO NOT FEED THE BEARS!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-31 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson