04 July 2023 , 23:01
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It’s never too late to change course on a long journey – just ask one of the UK’s oldest flight attendants.
Pam Clark, who has just turned 73, is EasyJet’s oldest employee, welcoming an estimated 800,000 passengers on board 4,500 flights over her 20-year career.
Known as ‘Nana Pam’ to her regular fliers, the former hairdresser has taken everyone from Premier League footballers to TV stars under her wings.
The mum-of-one, gran-of-two and soon-to-be great-gran said: “I’m meeting more and more colleagues like me who have made a brave career change later in life. Don’t be afraid. My favourite part of the job has been meeting passengers from all over the world and giving them the most enjoyable experience possible.”
Pam, from Milton Keynes, is EasyJet’s over-45s recruitment ambassador. Research by the airline found 78% of parents wanted a new challenge once their children fly the nest.
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(PA)She had wanted to work as cabin crew since her childhood, but it wasn’t until she took an EasyJet flight to Madrid in 2003 and picked up a recruitment leaflet that she decided to take the plunge and make her dream come true.
At 53, on her first day of training she initially worried she would stand out negatively among her younger colleagues - but she was soon flying high in her new role.
The initiative from the airline builds on its previous successful recruitment campaign encouraging more over-45s to consider becoming cabin crew.
This has delivered a 10% increase in crew members over 45 and a 160% rise in those over the age of 60 since 2022.
Pam added: “My advice to anyone over the age of 45 thinking about applying for a role as cabin crew at easyJet would be to go for it. “When I applied for the role 20 years ago I knew that my age and experience meant I had something really valuable to offer."