Revealing myths behind the glamour of flight attendants

Translated by Ang Li & Hao Li, Edited by Leavan Yuan & Hao Li

When people think of "flight attendants," the image of slender, well-mannered, soft-spoken "young ladies" comes to mind. In the public's eyes, flight attendants can earn an enviable salary by pushing food carts and seating customers on planes. It's also commonplace to bump into celebrities on airplanes and get up-close and personal with them. However, these "rumors" are just a few examples, and only aviation professionals and their families can understand the hardships and difficulties behind the profession of a flight attendant.

He Yun, a cabin manager for China Eastern Airlines, has been with the airline for ten years and has impressed everyone with her outstanding appearance and demeanor, but few people are aware of her work outside of cabin service. To many people, flight attendants are no more than eye candy, but this is not the case. Her study room is filled with certificates she has earned since her college days.

When they are not flying, her flight attendant friends also learn flower arranging, wine tasting, tea ceremony, and other skills based on their interests. In fact, flight attendants are people with knowledge and commitment.

High salaries are accompanied by high intensity, high stress, and high psychological quality work for aviation professionals. As their family members, they have to take on unknown responsibilities to outsiders, and there is even a psychological manual for the pilot's family members.

After working in the aviation industry for so many years, she says what she feels most guilty about is her family. As her children grow up, He Yun reminds herself to adjust, hoping that she can positively influence her children and bring more warmth to her family.

The sudden outbreak of the epidemic in 2020 hit the aviation industry hard, and He Yun's life was affected, but she remained committed to her job. The crew's hard work during the epidemic ensured the safety of passengers. They are the most beautiful countermarching people in the sky.