Stewardess regards the hazing as a joke
Kunming Airlines in Yunnan Province on Sunday said that it was not responsible for a hazing tradition that places new stewardesses in overhead luggage compartments.
Several stewardesses from the company reported that staff for five years have put stewardesses into the compartments after they complete their first few shifts, according to a report from WeChat account Minhangxiaobao on Sunday.
The stewardesses claim that almost every newcomer was subject to such treatment. Some introverted new stewardesses might skip the ritual, but are labeled as noncooperative. Some stewardesses said they reported the hazing to the company's supervision department, but received a reply saying that it is a company routine, and the department would not investigate.
Pictures on the WeChat account showed several stewardesses laying in the carriers. Some covered their faces while some lay face down. According to the WeChat account, stewardesses were pressured not to file a lawsuit. It said one stewardess who was forced into the luggage carrier almost fell down because she was not feeling well.
The company said in a statement on Monday that the stewardesses were put into the luggage carrier after the plane took off, and it did not affect safety or customer service.
"It is a personal behavior and the company knows nothing about it. The airline has never advocated this activity, nor received any reports from the stewardesses. The airline is paying a high level of attention to this incident and will educate those involved to avoid a similar occurrence," said the statement.
Zhang Qihuai, a civil aviation expert and law professor from China University of Political Science and Law, told The Mirror on Monday, "The move has endangered civil safety and should be held accountable."
Zhang said that the company's statement is irresponsible and shows its loose management.
"It seems that the company tried to protect and connive over its staff's mistake," he said.
A stewardess from China Southern Airlines (Hubei branch) told the news website cnhubei.com on Monday that she regarded the hazing as a joke. She said that the incident is a single case and could not represent the whole industry.
