Breaking News: First Batch of Taiwanese Flight Attendants at AirAsia in Action — Wang Shunyu Becomes a Beacon for Aussie Working Holidaymakers

Reported and photographed by You [symbol] Ru / Kuala Lumpur

On a budget flight operated by a Malaysian airline from Kuala Lumpur to Taipei, the voice of a young Taiwanese woman came through the aircraft’s PA system: “The plane is about to take off. Please remain seated and fasten your seatbelts.” She is，25-year-old Taiwanese woman Wang Shunyu,


also the first cohort of Taiwanese flight attendants hired by AirAsia (AirAsia), holding the intercom, Wang delivered her instructions word for word, clearly and meticulously.  

▲ Taiwanese flight attendant Wang Shunyu.

The typically vibrant and efficient image of AirAsia flight attendants—with their heavy eye makeup and straightforward service style—stands in stark contrast to the “cute and fresh” image often associated with Taiwanese carriers. Since May this year (2013), after AirAsia recruited 23 Taiwanese flight attendants, passengers can now hear the elegant tones of Taiwanese-accented Mandarin on board and experience the familiar warmth of Taiwanese service smiles. Many Taiwanese travelers, upon hearing the cabin announcements, couldn’t help but say, “It’s really nice to have fellow Taiwanese helping out on the plane.”

 
Reported boarding a Kuala Lumpur to Taipei flight, I happened to encounter Taiwanese flight attendant Wang Shunyu on board. Speaking fluent English and Mandarin, Wang moved deftly through the cabin, holding her own against her international colleagues with her poised manner and graceful demeanor. “I chose to become a flight attendant with AirAsia because I wanted to work in an English-speaking environment,” said Wang, who had been studying in Brisbane. With her fluent English skills and sweet smile, she stood out among thousands of applicants and was selected to work as a flight attendant in Kuala Lumpur.

Unlike Taiwanese carriers,working at AirAsia not only requires heavy eye makeup to match the super-bright uniform colors but also mandates letting your hair down. “Company policy states that you only need to tie it up if it goes past your armpits,” Wang explained. Having worked for nearly a year, she noted that the biggest difference lies in how flight attendants are perceived in different countries. “Taiwanese see being a flight attendant as a dream job, but many other countries view it as hard labor.”




▲ Compared to the fresh image of Taiwanese flight attendants, AirAsia flight attendants wear heavier makeup and must keep their hair down.