“The airplane is my office.” A sweet flight attendant standing just 158 cm tall travels the world with her national flag

Reporter Zhou Youzheng / Taipei Reporting

Defying your image of flight attendants！Hailing from Tainan, Li Ting-ying stands just 158 cm tall but beat over 1,500 competitors with her confidence and sweet smile to become a cabin crew member for a Middle Eastern airline during her interview. Moreover, whenever she works or travels abroad, she always takes a national flag with her to take photos with landmarks, taking pride in being Taiwanese. Having visited nearly 90 cities in over five years, she says, “The airplane is my means of transportation and also my office.”

▲“The Office Lady Who Commutes by Plane,” Flight Attendant Li Ting-ying, who is 158 cm tall, always brings the national flag to work and while traveling. (Photo /The Office Lady Who Commutes by PlaneProvided)

Becoming a flight attendant has been Li Ting-ying’s childhood dream, but due to her height, she was unable to apply to domestic airlines. In 2008, the airline she now works for happened to be recruiting in Taiwan and had no height restrictions, so she applied without hesitation. “What they look for is confidence and a friendly smile,” Li Ting-ying said. Before the interview, she learned that the company values employees’ “smiles” and strong English skills—two areas where she excels—and finally achieved her dream.

Having visited over 80 cities, Li Ting-ying always keeps the national flag close at hand. It started as simply putting a national flag sticker on her suitcase to make it easier to identify, but later, out of love for her hometown, she decided to carry the flag everywhere she goes. Li Ting-ying recalled that once, when she was in Mauritius, an island nation off the east coast of Africa, she saw a yacht with “Kaohsiung” written on it. She immediately waved the national flag, and people on the yacht happily waved back, giving her a feeling of “meeting an old friend in a foreign land.”

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▲Li Ting-ying works and travels with the national flag. (Photo / The Office Lady Who Commutes by Plane Provided)

Among the many places she has been to, memorable ones include St. Petersburg in Russia, Madrid in Spain, and Mauritius in East Africa. Li Ting-ying said, “The tropical island nations in the Indian Ocean are the most fun!” Especially for couples going on their honeymoon, besides visiting the Maldives and Seychelles, they can also explore nearby island countries that are just as beautiful and much less crowded.

Although she has worked for five years, the unmarried Li Ting-ying still loves her job very much. She said, “There are few jobs that allow you to travel the world.” Recently, she compiled her experiences chasing her dreams and traveling into a book, launching her new book 《The Office Lady Who Commutes by Plane: The 158cm Flight Attendant’s World Flight Diary》, hoping to share the fun of “working in the air” and encouraging more girls with flight attendant dreams to pursue their aspirations.