EgyptAir Staff To Unleash Their Beards
And still on the subject of airlines:
“Would you like a drink with your meatballs, sir?”
EgyptAir is facing a legal case brought by several of its cabin crew that would allow them to sport beards at work.
The national carrier, along with many other airlines, prohibits stewards from wearing facial hair, saying it prefers to have ‘clean cut’ staff in direct contact with passengers.
On Monday, a number of EgyptAir staff presented a legal case to Cairo’s Administrative Court to press for their right to — as a report in Al-Ahram newspaper put it — “unleash their beards”.
The Committee for Settling Disputes, one of Egypt’s judicial arms, has already recommended that the cabin staff be free to choose a hirsute appearance.
The plaintiffs have pledged that their prospective beards will be well-groomed and otherwise adhere to EgyptAir’s criteria for smart and presentable cabin crew.
“We will respect the judge’s verdict,” said Dina El-Fooli, media spokeswoman for the Aviation Holding Company, which controls EgyptAir.
“If they rule in favour [of the staff] then we will not prevent them from having beards.
“I think this kind of demand will become regular these days,” she added.
The ‘right’ to wear facial hair is becoming a hot topic in Egypt following the toppling of president Hosni Mubarak and his regime, which enforced strict, yet unwritten, limits on signs of Islamic piety among its employees.
In February, a group of Egyptian police officers demanded that their employer, the Ministry of Interior, allow them to grow beards. They are still awaiting an official response from the ministry. The campaign received support from several ultra-conservative Salafist groups.
I think it’s a horrible idea. Would you want your meal served by a guy with a beard? It certainly increases the chances of there being hair in your soup.
On the plus side, if there was ever a hijacking, perhaps the terrorists would have a harder time discerning themselves from the cabin crew.
About the Author
An Australian immigrant to Israel, Aussie Dave has been blogging since early 2003.Filed Under: Aussie Dave
Maybe Netanyahu and the Plessner Committe will put the Haredi to work as flight attendants on El Al.
I simply do not care as I will never fly any Arab or Muslim carrier. I can only hope they start enforcing sharia inspired gender separation and a hundred other oppressive stupid rules just so I can hear some fool on MSNBC or the liberal press of Huffington Post praise it and sternly demand we strenuously condone their quaint and ancient mores and customs. I mean, it’s tourism, what could POSSIBLY go wrong with the only functioning industry in Egypt?? Seriously though, I do hope that Egypt makes itself a pariah state for tourism. Anything they can do to drive their country right back into the Dark Ages is to be encouraged.
I seriously dont understand why a stupId israely like yourself would even comment on something that dosent concern you…and yes i would rather be served by a guy with a beard then a guy with 2 stupid curls on both sides of his head. Also the retarded guy that commented saying ‘i would never fly on a arab or muslim airline’ . Well we wouldnt want you anyway and soon we will ban any pigs like both of you even flying if you wanted to.
no two state solution.
and dave you can put any fears concerning hijacking to one side our plains are very well guarded in the air in all areas of the world in which we fly.
and nothing goes without notice,except those doing the guarding.
the terrorists could try and board as cockroaches and we would spot them.