No Body Odor Allowed: Jobseeking Airline Pilots’ Armpits Sniffed

Hainan Airlines is getting serious about a body odor and is reportedly sniffing the armpits of jobseeking pilots. China’s fourth largest airline is literally sniffing out the best man (or woman) for the job.

The airline stipulates that they will not hire any pilots with bad body odor, according to the Huffington Post. Hainan recruiters place their noses up to the armpits of potential new hires to make sure no odor is present.

One Hainan recruiter justified the stink test by noting that pilots work closely with the public and nasty armpits are inappropriate, according to Oddity Central. Plane pilots reportedly interact with passengers who do not deserve to deal with someone’s body odor during their trip, according to Hainan’s reasoning for the sniffing test during the hiring process.

The airline recruiters allegedly feel that if pilots can “keep their cool” during the sniff test, they will not have any sweating problems while in the cockpit. The test supposedly helps recruiters determine which potential pilots possess good stress management skills. One unidentified applicant who easily passed all of the other tests, had this to say about the no body odor test:

“I was doomed by my armpits, which are always a bit whiffy.”

Potential Hainan Airlines pilots also have to prove they have 20/20 visions, be able to communicate in English, and be at least 6-foot 2-inches tall. Cleanliness has allegedly become almost an obsession in China in recent years. Earlier this year Beijing officials reportedly mandated a “two-fly maximum” limit on insects near public toilets in the city.