Flight Attendant Fired After Posting Lingerie Photos on Plane

Q&A Between Flight Attendant and Airline

Recently, a veteran flight attendant from China Southern Airlines was fired for posting selfies in her lingerie while waiting for a delayed flight. What started as a brief post on WeChat swiftly transformed into a protracted legal dispute over image rights, disciplinary action, and the authority of airlines in managing employee behavior.

What Happened?

Guo, the chief attendant on flight CZ3547 from Guangzhou to Shanghai on October 12, 2019, shared a WeChat post featuring two photos of herself in lingerie, captioned, "Flight delayed, I'm in the restroom trying out a new product... feels like I'm not wearing anything... I'm wearing a size 75B." The post was live for about ten minutes before being deleted, but someone took a screenshot and reported it.

Was the Dismissal Justified?

The flight was originally scheduled to depart at 6:55 PM but did not take off until 8:06 PM. Guo had been with China Southern since 2005. The airline argued that she used work time for personal purposes, violating online conduct rules and posting "indecent" images that were inconsistent with public morals and the company’s brand.

Termination and Legal Battle

On October 18, 2019, China Southern decided to terminate her employment. Guo contended that this decision was unreasonable, claiming the photo was merely a gift from a friend and that she was promoting a product. Furthermore, only a small part of her over 1,000 friends could view the post, and the crew was using their phones since there were no passengers on board.

Court Verdict

The case was later brought to the Baiyun District People's Court. The court acknowledged that the post was indeed inappropriate, but China Southern failed to demonstrate the severity of the dismissal. The company’s rules were deemed too vague and unclear, failing to explicitly define what constitutes “serious” misconduct, and the post occurred during the employee's break, not work hours.

Lawyers and Regulations from the Ministry of Transport

Regulations from the Ministry of Transport also affirmed that this was not a “rest period” but rather working time. Guo's actions of trying on lingerie, taking photos, and posting online could pose safety risks. This content was viewed as advertising for lingerie, and her identity as a flight attendant was quite clear to those in her contact list.

Impact on Airline's Image

The court concluded that posting lingerie photos from the cabin during work hours harmed the airline's image, public morals, and safety reputation of China Southern. Therefore, the airline's decisive response was deemed reasonable, and the dismissal was legal.

Memories from the Past

Guo stated she would not disclose the screenshot while the case remains under legal pursuit. However, blurry images have circulated on social media. To my knowledge, the case has been taken up by the Guangdong High Court for appellate review, but no decision has been made yet.

Critique of New Regulations

This story reminds me of Ellen Simonetti, a Delta Air Lines flight attendant who was fired in the early days of blogging. She became a symbol of the clash between the new online world and workplace expectations. Ellen started her blog titled "Queen of Sky: Diary of a Dysfunctional Flight Attendant" in September 2003 but was suspended and later fired for taking pictures in her uniform and on the airplane, along with her online commentary.

Conclusion

The stories of Guo and Ellen serve as a reminder of the fragile boundary between personal life and work. In an age where sharing on social media is commonplace, airlines need to carefully review their regulations, and employees must exercise caution in managing their personal images.