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Why Some Airlines Care About BMI
Airlines want healthy crew who are fit to fly. That’s why some of them ask for your BMI — your Body Mass Index.
Let’s be clear: BMI charts do not measure attractiveness. This isn’t a beauty test. It’s not the golden age of girdles. It’s simply a health assessment.
BMI measures your height in relation to your weight and provides a general indication of health. That’s all it does.
Below is a standard BMI chart (courtesy of Vertex42). The styles may differ, but the numbers do not. BMI isn’t unique to airlines; it’s a universal measurement used by organisations such as the CDC, Harvard, and other medical bodies.
And just to be clear, this chart should not be confused with the Body Roundness Index (BRI) — a newer system designed to replace BMI. However, as of now, most airlines still rely on BMI.
Are these charts perfect? Not even close. If you’re a bodybuilder, you’ll likely appear overweight. If you’re on your period, you might even fall into the obese range — or at least feel like it. Having competed in a bodybuilding competition myself, I know how easily these numbers can distort perception. Muscle weighs more than fat, and many strong, healthy people are labelled “overweight” by this measure alone.
Because myths around beauty and body image are so persistent in this industry, BMI has inevitably been pulled into that cycle. So, let’s add a bit of context.
There’s no secret chart hidden in a drawer somewhere. If your number falls within the healthy or normal range, you’re fine. You don’t need to lose or gain weight — no matter what an anonymous commenter says online.
If you’re slightly outside the “healthy” range, it’s relatively easy to make small adjustments to your diet or routine and move back into it. Try measuring yourself at different times of day — before and after meals — to see if your number shifts. 1lb of food will give you 1lb of weight. 1lb of water will give you another 1lb of weight. 1lb of clothes…1lb of jewellery…and on and one. That’s how this chart works.
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