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Airline says female flight attendants must have doctor's note to not wear heels

An airline’s female flight attendants must have a doctor’s note to not wear heels [Image: Getty]
An airline’s female flight attendants must have a doctor’s note to not wear heels [Image: Getty]

Female cabin crew at a popular airline are being forced to wear heels unless they have a doctor’s note.

Women who work as flight attendants for Norwegian Air are not allowed to wear flat shoes on the plane unless they have a medical letter.

The company’s 22-page dress code document – which states that heels must be at least 2cm high – has come under fire.

However, the low-cost airline, who fly to Europe, USA and Asia, have insisted that the rule ensures employees look “smart and consistent”.

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Women who have a doctor’s note that allows them to not wear heels still have to face tight restrictions.

They must carry the letter with them at all times, and it must be updated every six months.

A spokesperson for the airline told the Independent: “The guidelines were drafted with input from our pilot and cabin crew colleagues and have been well received.”

They also added that the majority of the dress code policy applied to both men and women.

Women employed by Norwegian Air must have a medical letter with them at all times to be allowed to wear flats [Image: Getty]
Women employed by Norwegian Air must have a medical letter with them at all times to be allowed to wear flats [Image: Getty]

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However, politicians in Norway – where the airline was founded in Norway’s capital of Oslo in 1993 – have accused them of being in a “Mad Men universe”.

The comment – made by Ingrid Hodnebo, of Norway’s Socialist Left Party – is a reference to the hit TV series which depicted sexist and patriarchal values at a New York advertising firm in the 1950s.

“The year 1950 rang and it wants its rulebook back,” said Anette Trettebergstuen, who represents women in Norway’s Labour Party.

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It comes a month after Virgin Atlantic ditched its mandatory make-up rule for female cabin crew.

Emirates’ female flight attendants have to wear a particular shade of red lipstick, while British Airways asks women employees to put on a minimum of lipstick and blusher.

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