Flight Attendant Fired After Posting Lingerie Photos on a Plane

Beginning of the Legal Drama

The saga began when a veteran flight attendant from China Southern was fired after she posted lingerie photos on WeChat during a delayed flight. This incident triggered a lengthy legal battle over image rights, disciplinary actions, and the rules airlines can impose on their staff's behavior.

Flight attendant Guo was the head attendant on flight CZ3547 from Guangzhou to Shanghai on October 12, 2019. When the flight was delayed due to air traffic control and no passengers were on board, she shared an update on WeChat featuring two lingerie photos with the caption, "Flight delayed, I'm in the restroom trying out a new 'barely there' product... feels like I'm not wearing anything... I'm a size 75B." She deleted the post after about ten minutes, but someone had already taken a screenshot and reported her.

Termination Decision and Reactions

The flight, originally scheduled to depart at 6:55 PM, finally took off at 8:06 PM. Guo had been with China Southern since 2005. The airline claimed she misused her working hours for personal matters, violating online conduct rules and posting "inappropriate" images contrary to public morals and the company's brand. On October 18, 2019, they terminated her employment.

Guo argued that the firing was unjustified. She explained that the lingerie photos were a gift from a friend and that she was merely promoting it without any intent to profit. Only a small fraction of her over 1,000 friends could view the post, and other attendants were also using their phones since there were no passengers boarding.

The Ongoing Legal Battle

After completing the internal procedures, she filed a complaint with the Guangzhou Labor Dispute Resolution Committee on June 3, 2020. On July 22, 2020, the committee ruled that her dismissal was unlawful and ordered the airline to compensate her 212,735.63 yuan (approximately $30,909) in wages. The case was then escalated to the Baiyun District People’s Court.

The court acknowledged that the post was inappropriate but noted that the airline failed to prove the dismissal was due to a "serious situation" since the company’s regulations were vague and unclear about what constituted "serious" conduct. Additionally, the post was made during her break time, not during work hours.

Final Court Ruling

The court found that there was no impact on safety, no widespread dissemination, nor any damage to the airline's reputation. The airline appealed to the Guangzhou Intermediate People’s Court. The court stated that one of the airline's conduct regulations was not in effect in 2019. However, it ruled that this was not a "break time"—according to the Ministry of Transport's regulations, it was work time while she was trying on lingerie, taking photos, editing, and posting.

Any distraction from flight attendants during work hours could pose safety risks. The content of her post was seen as promotional for the lingerie rather than typical social media activity, and her identity with the airline became clear to her contacts. The photos even included images of the aircraft.

Consequences and Impact on the Airline Industry

According to the court, posting lingerie photos from the cabin during duty harmed the airline's image, public morals, and the safety reputation of China Southern. Therefore, the airline's zero-tolerance response was deemed reasonable, and their termination decision was legal. Guo stated she would refrain from sharing screenshots while the case was still pending.

However, many blurry images have surfaced on social media. It appears that her case has been accepted for appeal by the Guangdong High Court, but no ruling has been made yet. This suggests that the situation is still ongoing, which explains the continuous media reports in China.

I’m reminded of Delta Air Lines flight attendant Ellen Simonetti, who was also fired in the early days of blogging, long before modern social media exploded. She became a symbol of the clash between online worlds and workplace expectations. Ellen started a blog titled "Queen of Sky: Diary of a Dysfunctional Flight Attendant" in September 2003 but was suspended and later fired for taking photos in uniform and on the plane, accompanied by her online commentary (she never publicly named her company). Some of her photos were deemed somewhat provocative. The main issue at that time was that in a chaotic world of expectations, other attendants had escaped discipline for similar activities.