, eight flight attendants sued Virgin Blue Air Lines on the basis that they were discriminated against because of their ages and the air line only hired younger and more-shapely women. The older attendants contended that they didn't have a fair chance for a job during the application process. They filed a formal complaint with the Anti-Discrimination Tribunal in Brisbane.
The ruling of the Queensland Anti-Discrimination Tribunal favored the flight attendants, finding today that they were discriminated against on the basis of age. The tribunal awarded $5,000 to the initial claimant, Alma Frank. Claims for monetary remuneration have been filed by the other seven oldsters.
My take is that there are circumstances where an employer wants youth, vigor, and attractiveness. In particular, regarding job qualifications for positions dealing with the public, those attributes shouldn't be considered unreasonable. Taken to the extreme, anti-discrimination rules concerning employees' ages would mandate that Hooters Restaurant hire 50-year-old waitresses. If so, the business would end up sagging, figuratively and literally.
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Speaking of Hooters - I don't know if this was just a local Hooters phenomenon, but the waitresses were required, if asked to by patrons, to do jumping jacks or bounce on one of those kid's big bouncy balls with the handle on it. In my opinion they were requiring the girls to degrade themselves.
Posted by: Oyster at October 11, 2005 06:31 AM (YudAC)
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"Taken to the extreme, anti-discrimination rules concerning employees' ages would mandate that Hooters Restaurant hire 50-year-old waitresses."
You go to hooters for that. Do people fly international for that?
Posted by: actus at October 11, 2005 06:45 AM (Zi15r)
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Hmmmm,
The one thing I do like about flying on Middle Eastern airlines is they are able to restrict the stewardesses to comely women only.
Posted by: Marcus Aurelius at October 11, 2005 06:51 AM (TGyaf)
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It's interesting that as the age requirement for social security climbs, there are fewer, and fewer employers willing to hire people
anywhere near the retirement age. People losing their jobs in their late 50's or even in some cases lower 50's can look forward to the employment prospects in the Walmart "greeter" department, which has the qualifications of "breathing" to perform.
If you don't take some sort of stand on ageism in employment. while they're still talking about raising the minimum age of social security, imagine where you will be in twenty plus years? especially in this age of no corporate loyalty where your job will be handed to Mexico to save a couple thousand bucks a month, or people are routinely kicked out of their job before they need to pay out on pensions.
Personally, I think if they continue to raise the age of retirement they need to pursue employers aggressively, because how will anyone who loses a job later in life, survive if no one will employ them?
Posted by: dave at October 11, 2005 07:28 AM (CcXvt)
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Oyster, Hooters girls are just one notch above strippers anyway, and probably just don't have the nerve to pull the trigger. If a girl takes a job where she is required to dress like a whore, she shouldn't be shocked to be treated like a whore. Men go to Hooters because they can't get good wings at a strip joint, but that's about the only difference.
Flight attendants aren't objectified like Hooters girls are, but there is still an aura of sexuality about them, though I can't really figure why. Like actus said, people don't fly because of the T&A, they fly because they need to get somewhere and the choice of airline usually depends upon several criteria such as cost, time, etc., but I don't think anyone but Austin Powers might choose an airline based on the shagability of the flight attendants. I think that on the whole most airlines are stuck in the 70's and need to get their acts together. I don't care if my FA is 18 or 80, as long as I can get a pillow and a couple of shots of vodka when I need them.
Posted by: Improbulus Maximus at October 11, 2005 10:58 AM (0yYS2)
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Who says a 50 year-old can't be hot? Ever heard of a MILF? I'm 50 and there's no sagging goin' on here. I may not be a chicken wing server ala Hooters but I know my way around - the world and in general and if anything got wierd on a flight I could handle it. Btw, young doesn't necessarily equal physical superiority. I distance run, cycle, and lift weights.
Posted by: bridget2600 at October 24, 2005 02:56 PM (YpUCW)
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