‘Women are at their most beautiful when they are both intelligent and confident’  (Photo: Khanh Linh).

Khanh Linh is currently the youngest chief purser of Jetstar Pacific Airlines. After having graduated from high school, Linh decided to pursue the path of becoming a flight attendant. With her neat appearance, excellent English proficiency, and confidence in proving herself, Linh, at the age of 18, succeeded in adding her name to JPA’ list of flight attendants. The young girl has shown great leadership and excellent work performance, helping to lead to her promotion to chief purser at the age of 21.

However, on her path to pursue her dream, Linh encountered endless difficulties. The 9X flight attendant has been trying hard to prove her competence to be recognized by her family as well as colleagues.

Becoming a flight attendant despite the disagreement of family

“The biggest failure of my life is that I can’t make you listen to me.” Until now, Linh cannot forget what her mother had said when she decided to become a flight attendant instead of going to university. Her decision had made her mother upset for half a year.

As for her father, though unhappy, he still respected her decision. “If you are determined, commit to it till the end. I won’t accept it if you only pursue this path for one or two years and then drop it.” To her, it is both a reminder and an encouragement to follow her dream persistently. She promised herself: “I will prove to you (parents) that I made the right decision.”

After a one-year training on the ground, at age 19, Linh’s dream to “fly to the sky” came true. Nevertheless, it was also the moment when she realized the difficulties of this profession. Linh’s health was negatively affected as she wasn’t accustomed to long-haul flights. Initially, when she was new and inexperienced, impolite comments from passengers made her so upset that she couldn’t sleep at night.

Sometimes, Linh’s aspiration to become a flight attendant faltered. There was a time when she wanted to give up, even worrying that she was wrong to disobey her parents. But her family came to her side and helped her regain motivation.

The youngest Chieft Purser of JPA. (Photo: Khanh Linh).

Becoming a Chief Purser at age 21

Having entered the occupation, Linh set a goal to become a Chief Purser by the age of 21. Despite knowing that this was unprecedented in JPA, she didn’t give up her goal. With a growth mindset and constantly sharpening her skills, she consistently worked hard and welcomed passengers with a warm and devoted attitude. Gradually, her ability to properly handle all aspects of customer service grew, and she was entrusted by her colleagues.

With two years of working experience, it is effort and professionalism that enabled Linh to be nominated in the promotion list. Upon receiving the news of promotion to Chief Purser, she was both surprised and worried. But the deputy leader of the crew reassured her: “You have been doing a good job, and you deserve it.”

Hearing this news, Linh’s mother was speechlessly happy and even more proud of her daughter. Though she used to be upset with Linh’s decision, Linh knew that today’s success is partly attributed to her mother’s silent caring.

“When initially being a chief purser, I was a bit worried at first and had to brace myself to protect my flight attendants and passengers. Now, I am more confident and believe that everything has a solution.” (Photo: Khanh Linh).

Having been a chief purser for one year, thanks to her confidence and resourcefulness, Linh always arranges things smoothly in her work so as to avoid undesired incidents. She admits that in terms of experience and age, she is still young and needs to learn more from her colleagues; therefore, she always shows them a great deal of respect. When they make mistakes, she handles the situations appropriately and with tact.

 “When initially being a chief purser, I was a bit worried at first and had to brace myself to protect my flight attendants and passengers. Now, I am more confident and believe that everything has a solution,” Linh said.

To make a good impression on passengers and serve them well, especially on flights at odd hours, the young chief purser always gets enough sleep and maintains a healthy diet – eating lots of fruits, vegetables, and vitamin C. Moreover, she pays attention to her health by doing exercises or playing badminton on her off days.

Linh loves shopping, cosmetics, reading, and hanging out with her friends at coffee shops. (Photo: Khanh Linh).

Becoming a woman of modernity

In regards to life, like many other young women, the chief purser loves shopping, cosmetics, reading, and hanging out with her friends at coffee shops. She admits that Linh-at-work and the normal Linh are two completely different people. In her opinion, she must be serious at work, because a little negligence can lead to unpredictable consequences. The 9X chief purser wants to do it right but still strives to keep a comfortable atmosphere. However, in normal life, she wants to act her real age with likeminded interests.

Linh shares that her perception and lifestyles are influenced by her mother. She is always her role model – a woman with a blend of tradition and modernity. Since childhood, she has taught Linh that a woman has to behave appropriately, like a traditional Vietnamese woman, but nurture her own career, which means there must be growth in her career path and develop herself day by day. Linh wishes to become like her mother – good with communication skills, passionate, and having a successful career.

Apart from her mother, another person that Linh really admires is Mrs. Hang – the Head of JPA’ Cabin Crew Division. Linh said: “Mrs. Hang has taught me many things from life to work. My success today is partly attributed to her caring and devoted teaching. To me, Mrs. Hang is a highly responsible person, always dedicating herself to work, yet fulfill all tasks at home. She is the perfect image of a civilized and modern woman.”

In Linh’s opinion, women are at their most beautiful when they are intelligent and confident. An intelligent woman will have a good mindset, knowing how to be happy and protect herself from vulnerability, while a confident woman is always satisfied with what she has and maintains a positive attitude. Linh believes that one’s accomplishments are made by effort, not by luck. In the future, she aspires to be a teacher in the aviation industry to provide guidance to the next generations of flight attendants – especially the female ones – and be a source of inspiration for women.

Bich Thao, Mai Huong – Collaborators