Ex-Emirates flight attendant alleges weight-loss deadlines, grooming checks and forced retirement

An ex-Emirates flight attendant has claimed staff were given deadlines to lose weight if their uniforms looked tight and would be sacked if they couldn't meet those deadlines. A former manager who worked at the airline for almost six years said flight staff were enrolled in a “Weight Management Programme” if their uniform didn't fit, with the warning that “all it would take was for you to be seen by the wrong person.” The luxury Dubai-based airline has long been associated with employing young, slim staff, and the anonymous 38-year-old told the Daily Mail that while not everyone was considered attractive, “looking good was almost demanded.”

"You associate that job with being young, beautiful and glamorous. They were all put together in the same way and everybody had to have the exact same shade of lipstick, but it wasn't a prerequisite to be beautiful. But you got measured for your uniform and before each flight you had grooming checks. I had to check that the girls were wearing the correct nail polish, that the guys had the correct shoes and things like that. If the uniform looked a bit tight, I had to report it and if they have to go up a size then they run the risk of going on a weight management programme."

They added that crew could be placed on a nutrition plan with a dietician, but the onus remained largely on the employee, with a window of time to return to their previous weight or risk losing their job. “If your uniform was too tight all it would take was for you to be seen by the wrong person. You were taken off your roster, they didn't let you fly until you could fit in your uniform again. People lost their jobs.”

The remarks come after Emirates chief Tim Clark denied on Pierce Morgan Uncensored the suggestion that “old and ugly men and women are banned from being employed.” Clark said the airline sought staff with the qualities needed to sustain and advance its brand, adding that “If it happens by coincidence they happen to be good looking, well done.” The ex-cabin supervisor who spoke to the Daily Mail said he did not intend to report people, but that pressure from more senior staff could create a climate of fear. He described the system as one that trained employees to believe strict appearance standards were normal: “That’s just how it was, you were conditioned to think that was normal. You don’t realise how abnormal it is until you leave. It didn’t happen a lot, but it most certainly happened.”

The pressure around weight and appearance allegedly extended to cases in which staff were banned from flying or removed from rosters until they met weight requirements. The former supervisor cited a coworker who reportedly yo-yoed with weight loss and said some crew would take unhealthy measures to return to flying. “There was a girl that used to yo-yo like crazy. I think she was on weight management a couple of times, she used to lose the weight really quickly because she loved flying and wanted to get back to it,” the 38-year-old said, adding that healthier approaches might have been preferable.

Beyond the reported programme, other accounts have depicted a broader climate of weight policing. Maya Dukaric, who previously worked as a cabin crew member, claimed that “weight police” would sometimes stop staff at airports and tell them to slow down. Duygu Karaman, a former Emirates hostess who spoke to British tabloids, described BMI tracking and random weight checks during the latter years of her tenure. She said BMI monitoring began even for crew who were not visibly overweight, and travelers could be pulled aside for weight checks before flights. Dukaric described the weight policing as part of a pattern that included visits to HR to assess progress and potential punishments for not meeting set targets. Other reports have asserted that failing to meet weight goals could lead to pay cuts or other discipline.

A separate allegation from the period suggested that some staff were pushed toward retirement at 50 due to the physically demanding nature of the job. The 38-year-old who spoke to the Daily Mail said that while there were positives to the lifestyle and certain perks, the overall environment could be toxic in retrospect. “There is quite a limited amount of opportunity after [age 50],” he said, and he suggested that Emirates should offer more support for employees approaching retirement.

The outlet’s reporting notes that Emirates has faced persistent scrutiny over its employment standards, particularly around appearance and fitness expectations for cabin crew. The airline has been contacted for comment on the allegations, and a representative did not immediately respond with a formal statement. In the wake of the reports, former employees emphasized that their experiences reflected particular norms at the time and cautioned that the industry’s expectations for grooming and body image can create intense pressure.

The stories draw on interviews with former Emirates staff and researchers who have tracked workplace practices in aviation. While the airline has maintained a public stance emphasizing brand standards and customer experience, the accounts reported by Daily Mail and corroborating outlets highlight a culture in which appearance and physical fitness were strongly policed, and where job security could hinge on maintaining a prescribed look. The reporting also underscores the tension between corporate branding strategies and the welfare of workers who must meet stringent physical criteria in a high-pressure, global service industry.

As the aviation sector continues to grapple with labor standards and worker welfare, unions and labor rights advocates may examine these kinds of claims for potential policy implications. Critics have long argued that excessive emphasis on appearance can mask broader issues around compensation, health support, and career longevity within airline operations. Proponents of branding and customer experience counter that consistent presentation is a legitimate business objective in competitive markets. The current reports contribute to the ongoing discourse about where acceptable boundaries lie in the relationship between corporate image and employee well-being, and how much oversight is appropriate to ensure fair treatment.

Emirates has not publicly commented beyond the initial denials from its leadership about appearance-based hiring practices, and it has not released a substantive update on the weight-management and grooming protocols described by former staff. The company’s position on employee wellness, policing of appearance, and retirement policies remains a developing topic as journalists, industry observers, and labor advocates review new claims and corroborating accounts.