General ManagementNews

Cost of Cut Backs : Go Air Not to Hire Male Stewards… Who’s Complaining?

India’s low cost carrier Go Air has decided to not hire male stewards anymore. Reason? They weigh more than their female counterparts. This additional weight consumes extra airline fuel, which in turn affects expenditure. So, if you cut down on the weight of the flight crew, you are bound to start seeing savings almost instantaneously. What a wonderful management lesson this is? I don’t think anybody minds this change, except for would-be male stewards.

Every kilogram on a flight costs Rs.3 per hour. Air hostesses weight at least 15 kilograms lesser, which means the saving is Rs.45/crew member/hour. Multiply this with the number of flights through the year. The savings made would definitely look handsome. Whoever came up with this solution is deserves to be lauded.

Presently, 40% of the Go Air crew are males. None would be laid off but the new recruits would be the female variety only. In the next seven years, Go Air is looking to expand with 80 more flights, which translates to around 2000 pilots and air hostesses. You may not be surprised if the pilot selection is based on their physical weight as well.

Go Air’s latest hiring policy is triggered by the falling Indian Rupee. As the airline fuel price is deregulated, every rupee that falls affects airlines in a big way.

“The rupee’s fall has hurt the industry badly. All major expenses — aircraft leasing, spare parts and fuel costs — are linked to the dollar. The fall in exchange rate of a rupee costs us Rs 30 crore on an annual basis. We are looking at every possible way of cost-cutting to remain profitable,” GoAir CEO Giorgio De Roni said.

The airline is cutting back on a number of fronts including the weight of in-flight magazines, the amount of drinking water carried onboard and single engine taxiing. An aerodynamic design that integrates sharklets are getting implemented on all existing flights. This is expected to reduce fuel burning by 5%.

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