Chinese airline gets backlash for calling older flight attendants ‘air aunties’

CHINA: A budget airline based in Shanghai, Spring Airlines, announced on Oct 22 that it is looking to hire flight attendants who are between the ages of 25 and 40, with a preference for those who are married or who have children. The carrier intends to take on between 30 and 60 new hires.

The problem is not that the airline is looking for this particular age range and status for its flight attendants, but that Spring Airlines refers to them as “air aunties.”

On social media, some women have pointed out how “auntie” is a loaded term, especially in Asia.

“The word auntie carries a heavy family tone. It makes people think of traditional housewives taking care of husbands and kids,” the South China Morning Post quoted one netizen as pointing out.

Another said that the moniker is “disrespectful” toward women, who are, after all, occupying a professional role.

This is especially so given that the airline requires women applying for the job to have a bachelor’s degree, at the very least. Applicants must also have a height between 162 and 174 cm, and those with experience in customer service are preferred.

The age preference of Spring Airlines is unusual, given that carriers in Asia tend to hire women who are somewhat younger than their counterparts in the West. In the United States, for example, the average age of female flight attendants is 46.3 years. SCMP pointed out that with Chinese carriers, flight attendants who are hired are usually aged between 18 and 25.

This may be due to preference, as appearance is given a higher priority among Asian carriers, while in the West, experience and service skills are considered to be more important, although the industry may be changing, as seen with Spring Airlines.

The SCMP reported that a recruitment manager told China News Service that the applicants they are looking for have the empathy and experience that they value, as this tends to better care for elderly and young travellers.

The carrier is also endeavouring to expand its workforce while at the same time giving women more employment opportunities.

As for the term “air auntie,” Spring Airlines said it was first used in the 1990s, adding that it has stuck.

“We wanted to distinguish them from unmarried applicants. Their duties, pay, and career paths are the same as any other flight attendant,” a representative for the carrier said. /TISG

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