Beauty and the air traveller

US airlines should take their cue from the 'bikini test' initiated by a Nanchang institute ('Bikini test par for the course at university', October 9) in choosing flight attendants for their worldwide services.

Frequent flights, short and long haul, are tiring and no one can deny that a pleasing personality in the form of a female face is soothing to all travellers. Clearly, a charming face with a captivating smile has a more positive impact than a wrinkled face with a forced smile.

In the US, studies have shown that a thing of beauty is indeed a joy forever and that good looks have a magnetic flavour for all people, irrespective of age and gender. Children gaze longer at beautiful faces at school and have this response with the doctor and nurse.

Singapore Airlines has a sensible approach to this issue, putting a ceiling on the age of in-flight cabin crew and transferring experienced staff to ground services.

I hope all airlines will adopt this psychology to boost their inflight services.

A. L. NANIK, Tsim Sha Tsui