Qatar lever i steinalderen

One of the world's largest airlines makes its flight attendants ask permission before getting married

The new Airbus A 350 of Qatar Airways coming from Doha, Qatar, approaches the gate at the airport in Frankfurt, Germany. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

Over the last 20 years, Qatar Airways has undergone a remarkable transformation. Backed by tiny Qatar's government riches, the airline has added routes to every populated continent, soaring from the 90th-largest international carrier to the 10th. Its prices on flights to D.C., New York, Miami and Dallas are cheap enough to pose a major challenge for U.S. carriers, who are trying to fight back.

But there's just one problem with an airline that says it has one of the "most modern" fleets in the skies: Qatar's flight attendants live under rules of an earlier decade. A way earlier decade. Like, one without international labor standards or women's rights.

According to the International Transport Workers' Federation, a major trade union group, female flight attendants can only be hired by Qatar Airways if they're single. They must remain so for five years after starting work. If they want to marry, they have to ask the airline's permission. If and when they get pregnant, they must notify the airline as soon as they know. Even though pregnancy is a breach of contract and can lead to firing.