Airline, Air Aunt Emo's Recruitment Announcement Controversy...a rude reference to a woman
Nov 03, 2025
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According to Chinese media Qiao News and Hong Kong media South China Morning Post, China's Shanghai-based low-cost airline, Spring Airlines (Spring Airlines), recently announced plans to hire women between the ages of 25 and 40, especially those who are married or have children. Applicants must be at least a bachelor's degree holder, between 162 cm and 174 cm in height, and are given preferential treatment if they have experience in customer service. The number of employees is 30-60, and their workplaces are Shanghai and Lanzhou in northwest China.
The announcement is unusual because the Chinese airline industry has typically hired young women between the ages of 18 and 25 as flight attendants.
In an interview with a local media outlet, a recruiter at Chunchu Airlines explained that "Graditional women have a lot of life experience and empathy, which can help them better take care of children and elderly passengers.'
Chunchu Airlines said the hiring is part of its personnel policy that respects women's diverse careers and life stages.
In China, the legal retirement age for women is generally set at 50, so some say that the recruitment provides new opportunities for career-interrupted women.
However, the name 'air emo' that was revealed during the hiring process sparked controversy with more than 70 million views on Chinese social media.
Netizens are saying "It's a rude call to a woman. He criticized the expression that emphasizes age and marital status","It reminds me of the traditional image of a housewife".
In response, Chun-Chu Airlines responded, "There was no intention of discrimination."It is only a name to distinguish between marriage applicants, and the work, salary, and promotion route are the same as other crew members." He also explained that the term 'air emo' was created in the 1990s when the Chinese aviation industry hired female workers who were fired from textile factories as flight attendants.
One married female flight attendant said in an interview that "We have strengths over new graduates. He has experience in parenting and caring for the elderly, and naturally plays the role of an older sister within the team."
Chun-chu Airlines also offers discounts on education expenses to older applicants, but it is not yet known whether it will hire a married male flight attendant.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
