Do airlines really care about the arm reach? Everything about the 208, 210 and 212cm tests from someone who is 158cm
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#1 I am 158cm and the SIA walk in is next month, so I have spent an unreasonable amount of time on this one number. Sharing what I have found so the next short person does not have to.
Why it exists
The overhead lockers, the emergency equipment in the ceiling stowages and the door handles on some types are at a fixed height. The reach test checks that you can operate all of them without a step. It is a safety requirement, not a beauty standard, which is why airlines do not waive it.
The numbers I have confirmed from crew on this forum and the airline pages
- Emirates: 212cm, on tiptoes, barefoot or flats
- Qatar Airways: 212cm, on tiptoes
- Etihad: 212cm
- Singapore Airlines: minimum height 158cm for women and 165cm for men rather than a reach test, which is why I am so nervous, I am exactly on the line
- easyJet: 5'2" to 6'3" (157 to 190cm) height, no reach test
- Ryanair: 5'2" (157cm) to 6'2", reach test at 210cm at some assessments
- Wizz Air: 210cm reach
- British Airways: 5'2" to 6'1"
- Turkish Airlines: 160cm minimum for women, 170cm for men, plus proportional weight
- Delta and United: no minimum height but you must reach the overhead bins, tested at the assessment, effectively about 208 to 210cm
How to check at home
Stand barefoot against a wall with a tape measure or a mark at the target height. Go up on your toes as high as you can hold for a few seconds and reach with one hand flat. If you touch it, you pass. Do not reach with your fingertips curled, do not jump. Practise the balance more than the stretch. The test is usually done against a marked wall or a pole, sometimes with a recruiter watching, sometimes in a corridor with dozens of people.
My own result
I reach 214cm on tiptoes at 158cm, which sounds impossible but I have long arms. Height and reach are not the same thing. Someone 165cm with short arms can fail the 212 test. Check your reach, not your height.
For SIA specifically
They measure height, not reach, and they measure it at the walk in. 158 is the stated minimum for women. I have been told they measure barefoot and that a few millimetres either side is at the recruiter's discretion but I would not count on it.
If your airline is not on the list and you know the current number, add it below and I will keep this updated.
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#2 SIA crew. They measure barefoot against a wall at registration and yes, 158 is the line for women. I have seen someone at 157.5 be allowed to continue and someone at 157 not. It is not a hard science but it is close to one. At 158 with 214 reach you are fine, and your reach will matter more once you are actually working.
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#3 Adding for SIA: they also look at proportion, not just height. It is not a weight requirement exactly but the uniform has to fit in a certain way. Just so nobody is surprised.
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#4 Japanese carriers for the list: JAL and ANA do a reach test at around 208cm and do not publish a height minimum. Height is less of a barrier in Japan than reach.
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#6 Aeromexico and Volaris both test reach at around 208cm at the assessment, and Volaris has a stated height minimum of 158cm for women. Nobody publishes this clearly so I am adding it.
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#7 Practical thing that helped me: I practised the tiptoe reach every day for two weeks before my assessment and gained almost 2cm just from balance and calf strength. If you are borderline, that is worth doing.
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#8 easyJet, and I want to underline the no reach test part. We have height limits only. If you are 157 and can reach the moon, you are still out. If you are 160 and cannot reach 200, you are in, and you will spend your career asking taller crew to get the first aid kit. Different airlines, different logic.