High school girls who say they want to become future airline attendants will face tougher entrance standards, officials claim.

The tests conducted by the College of Cabin Attendants at the Civil Aviation University of China admitted only 17 out of 161 students after physical and written examinations, along with an interview.

Future airline attendants are expected to be above 163 cm tall, 3 cm taller than last year's criterion.

Li Yumei, dean of the college, said a comprehensive view of the students' performances is more important than mere appearance.

"Heavily made-up" students or introverted and "unsmiling" students are unqualified and will not be admitted to the school, the Beijing Star Daily reports.

(China Daily March 23, 2005)