Union blasts American for flight attendant 'beauty contest'

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Union blasts American for flight attendant 'beauty contest'
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By Ben Mutzabaugh, USA TODAY

CAPTIONBy Ben Mutzabaugh, USA TODAY
American Airlines is looking for its most photogenic flight attendants.

But the attendants union is criticizing the airline, saying the effort essentially amounts to a "beauty contest" that the union says recalls a sexist ear in which attendants were known as stewardesses, Bloomberg News reports.

American has put out a call for some of its best-looking attendants -- both male and female -- at each of its crew bases. The airline says its goal is to find attendants willing to be uniform models that the company can use in internal marketing materials, such as brochures and newsletters.

Winners of the "Face of Your Base" call will participate in a photo shoot to help produce images for those items.

However, Laura Glading -- president of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants -- sent an e-mail last week to the union's members. In it, she urges them to boycott the search and says it undermines the attendants' primary role of ensuring safety on board the aircraft, according to Bloomberg.

"This campaign just transported us back 50 years to the days of girdles, weight-checks and single, female-only stewardesses having to quit when they were married, pregnant or reached the ripe old age of 30," Glading is quoted by Bloomberg as writing in the email.

Glading goes on to call the effort a "ridiculous, insulting beauty contest."

American has a different take.

"We understand that every campaign may not be of interest to every flight attendant, but encourage those who want to participate to do so," AA spokeswoman Missy Cousino says in an e-mail to Bloomberg. "We've had several flight attendants express how flattered they were to be nominated to be featured in our internal company materials."

MSNBC quotes an AA statement in which the airline points out that the Face of Your Base campaign was "created by our Customer Experience team in Chicago, comprised of both flight attendants and field managers."

Of course, the dispute does not come in a vacuum. The relationship between AA and its labor groups has grown increasingly contentious during the past few years.

That includes AA's flight attendants, who have been in talks for a new contract since 2008.

Today's talker: Who do you side with? Does the union have a point? Or is the airline simply offering attendants a chance to help the airline put forward its best face? Share your thoughts.

Posted May 4 2011 10:52AM
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Re: Union blasts American for flight attendant 'beauty conte

In other news, no one cares. God forbid you get someone half-way good looking to model your uniforms.
 
Re: Union blasts American for flight attendant 'beauty conte

Laura Glading is upset because her husband doesn't make her feel beautiful.
 
Re: Union blasts American for flight attendant 'beauty conte

If we are talking about American FA's, this is really a sexy grandma competition.

I kid, I kid....but not really
 
Re: Union blasts American for flight attendant 'beauty conte

Oh sheesh... Somebody's always got to complain about something.
 
Re: Union blasts American for flight attendant 'beauty conte

Article said:
"This campaign just transported us back 50 years to the days of girdles, weight-checks and single, female-only stewardesses having to quit when they were married, pregnant or reached the ripe old age of 30," Glading is quoted by Bloomberg as writing in the email.
Click to expand...

I was born way too late. If I have to hear one more detail about some male FA's Saturday night date with a drag queen named Nigel, well, I'll go to freight and never look back!
 
Re: Union blasts American for flight attendant 'beauty conte

Hey...American Flight Attendants...that reminds me - did I ever share my whole "Golden Girls" fantasy with y'all?
 
Re: Union blasts American for flight attendant 'beauty conte

good thing Delta don't have FA union cause deltalina would have been shot down for waving her sexy finger
 
Re: Union blasts American for flight attendant 'beauty conte

Some people will look for any opportunity to be offended....
 
Re: Union blasts American for flight attendant 'beauty conte

AMR has done this very same thing EVERY TIME they do a new uniform roll-out. I remember when they did it in '97 with the current uniforms debut. There are catalogs to be made, promo materials that need to be updated, etc, that need people to fill uniforms. AMR saves money by using their own employees for these spots, instead of paying models to do it. The employees that do these photo op type stuff don't get paid, it's on a volunteer basis. Men and women are both needed, it's not a sexist thing.

Really, there's nothing to see here, nothing for the union or anyone else to get upset about...
 
Re: Union blasts American for flight attendant 'beauty conte

They should just pay models and tell the FA's to go * themselves.
 
Re: Union blasts American for flight attendant 'beauty conte

I'm sure the FAs would complain if AMR hired actual non-FA models to appear in the literature, too.
 
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