American Airlines has been criticised for holding a 'ridiculous beauty contest' in its search for the best-looking flight attendants.
The airline launched a competition to find attractive male and female crew members to appear as models in a photo-shoot for the airline, reports the UK’s Daily Mail.
The contest was named 'Face Of Your Base' and flight attendants were asked to vote on who looked the most 'superb' in the airline's new scarves, ties and striped shirts.
Model behaviour: A spokesperson for the airline said its crew members were 'flattered to be nominated' for the promotional photo-shoot
Union bosses have now demanded an end to the contest, which they say harks back to the era of an all-women workforce facing weigh-ins and wearing girdles.
Laura Glading, president of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, urged union members to boycott the competition, saying that it undermined their chief duty of ensuring safety onboard a flight.
'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 said.
Missy Cousino, a spokeswoman for American Airlines said: 'We understand that every campaign may not be of interest to every flight attendant, but encourage those who want to participate to do so.
'We’ve had several flight attendants express how flattered they were to be nominated to be featured in our internal company materials.'
