Dang, I am glad I have no plans to fly to Asia. Imagine getting on one of these flights.
Reports: Thai airline recruits 'third-sex' attendants By Ben Mutzabaugh, USA TODAY
The president of a start-up carrier in Thailand has described himself as a "pioneer" for being the airline boss in that nation to seek out transsexuals as flight attendants.
AFP writes:
Fledgling airline PC Air has already recruited six crew of the "third sex" and boss Peter Chan said recruitment, driven by a belief in equal rights, would continue.
"I think these people can have many careers – not just in the entertainment business – and many of them have a dream to be an air hostess," Chan tells the London Telegraph. "I just made their dream come true. Our society has changed. It's evolution. I'm a pioneer and I'm sure there will be other organizations following my idea."
Transsexuals -- also known as "Ladyboys" -- are not uncommon in Thailand, which has one of the world's biggest transsexual populations.
The Telegraph says the transsexuals hired to work at PC Air "will wear special gold-colored 'third sex' name badges to help passengers and immigration staff to easily identify the gender they are faced with."
Thailand's Nation newspaper says Thanyarat "Film" Jiraphatpakorn was among PC Air's first batch of successful "third-sex" applicants.
The 23-year-old Jiraphatpakorn, winner of the Miss Tiffany beauty pageant in 2007, tells the Nation she was thrilled to land the position.
"At first I thought they would just take applications but not actually recruit us, as happened at other places before," she adds.
PC Air says it hopes to begin operations by April, operating charter flights from Thailand to destinations in Asia.
Posted Jan 28 2011 11:53AM
As a veteran of 42 years experience with a major air line, including flights to Bangkok, my best guess is that, that is all they could dig up for flight attendents.If they are lucky, they will last about as long as Hooters Air.