‘Role model for us women!’: Chinese flight attendant, 50, deemed ‘too old’ to work in China gets foreign airline job after learning new language
- A 50-year-old flight attendant who was sacked learns a new language to get a new job and shows age is no barrier
- Her story has resonated in China where discriminatory age limits for flight attendants remain among Chinese airlines
A 50-year-old Chinese flight attendant who taught herself English and Finnish after losing her job and then receiving multiple offers has become an inspiration in mainland China where airlines set discriminatory age limits for cabin crew.
The Beijing woman, surnamed Hu, worked at Norwegian Air Shuttle for six years before being sacked during an internal restructuring, Bailu Video reported.
It’s not clear when she was dismissed. But while she looked for a new job, she worked on improving her English and studied Finnish in preparation for job interviews with foreign airlines. She did not seek work with Chinese airlines, which do not employ cabin crew aged over 40.
Hu is the only Chinese flight attendant at her current employer, which was not named in the report. She has been with the new employer for eight months.
“I exercise routinely, and I insist on eating a healthy diet. These are major reasons that I am still able to handle this physically demanding job which requires flying for long hours,” she said.
“Use all your strength and courage to deal with life. Live in the moment, and never regret every step you’ve taken.”
Hu’s video has been viewed more than five million times on Weibo and received thousands of positive comments.