Emirates air hostess who weighed 10 stone quit ‘after facing weight checks’

An Emirates flight attendant has quit her job after allegedly being subjected to random weight checks for being “too heavy” – despite being a size 12.

Duygu Karaman, 37, from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, told The Mirror that a colleague had reported her weight, which resulted in random weight checks before flights over her last three years of working for the company.

“They didn’t tell me who reported me, but they weighed me and said they track everything according to BMI,” she told the news outlet. As Duygu was 2kg ‘heavier’ than Emirates apparently aspired, she claims the airline subsequently put her on a weight management programme.

“They give you an A4 piece of paper, which just said, ‘don’t eat rice, don’t eat bread’ – stuff like that,” she said.

“They call it a nutritional department, but they didn’t give me much advice.”

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After a 10-year career with the world’s largest international airline, Duygu eventually had enough. She suggested that the airline “always want to get rid of the senior people” because they didn’t like people who spoke out.

“Emirates is really strict with their grooming policy,” she alleged. “You never see an old cabin crew. They want pretty looking people.”

Duygu’s further claims suggest that colleagues would have their pay cut if weight issues persisted. She even said that one of her colleagues resorted to having a tummy-tuck – against medical professional advice.

Weighing 10st 7lbs at most, Duygu revealed the impact it had on her confidence. “It’s definitely not okay”, she said. “I was really upset for so long and then I lost my self-confidence.”

Duygu has since moved on to new ventures, as she studies towards becoming a dietician.

An Emirates spokesperson told The Mirror: “As a global airline, we treat the wellbeing of our employees with the highest priority, and we believe being fit and healthy, both physically and mentally, is an important aspect in them carrying out their duties safely and effectively.

“We’re proud of our colleagues who form Emirates’ cabin crew and are working in safety critical roles to maintain the quality of operations and service Emirates is known for.

“We do not comment on specific, confidential cases of existing or past employees.”

indy100 has contacted Emirates for additional comment.