Two British Airways crew members have been suspended following allegations that they mocked a colleague's weight in a private WhatsApp group.
The two employees allegedly made disparaging comments about a 15-stone (95kg) stewardess in a chat that she was not part of. The offensive messages were reported to British Airways management by a concerned coworker.
According to The Sun, the unverified messages included "merciless" jibes aimed at the cabin crew member. In response, British Airways has temporarily removed the accused employees from their duties while an investigation is conducted.
The airline issued a statement emphasizing its stance against bullying: "We have a zero tolerance approach to bullying and always fully investigate any allegations brought to our attention."
The incident highlights the physical demands of a cabin crew role, which includes tasks such as reaching overhead lockers and opening aircraft doors. British Airways requires staff to meet certain height requirements to perform these duties, but there is no maximum weight limit as long as employees can fulfill their responsibilities.
The company states on its website: "In order to be able to meet the reach requirement you likely need to be at least 1.575m in height. We will measure your diagonal reach, as this is used to manually release an evacuation slide in an emergency." Photo by Helar Lukats, Wikimedia commons.