easyJet is launching a new UK cabin crew recruitment campaign aimed at attracting more people over the age of 50, after the airline more than doubled the number of older crew members working on its flights since 2022.
Around 12% of easyJet’s cabin crew are now aged over 50, with the number in this age group increasing by 127% over the past four years. The airline has also seen the number of cabin crew aged over 60 almost quadruple during the same period.
The latest recruitment drive comes ahead of applications opening in September 2026 for hundreds of cabin crew positions across easyJet’s UK bases for 2027.
The airline says its experience since launching an initiative targeting older workers in 2022 has challenged the perception that cabin crew careers are primarily aimed at younger employees.
Career changes after 50 becoming more common
Research commissioned by easyJet found that 80% of UK adults who changed careers after turning 50 reported an improvement in their overall happiness.
Among those surveyed, 78% said changing careers helped them regain a sense of control over their working lives, while 74% felt more capable and 71% reported increased confidence.
Almost seven in ten said the experience helped them better understand what they wanted from their career, while 65% wished they had made the change earlier.
Travel and tourism emerged as the most attractive industry for people considering a career change after 50, ahead of creative arts, media and design, and the health, science and care sectors.
Flexibility was the most frequently cited motivation for changing jobs, mentioned by 41% of respondents. Greater job satisfaction and fulfilment followed at 38%, while 32% said they were looking for new experiences.
easyJet challenges perceptions around cabin crew age
easyJet began specifically encouraging older applicants to consider cabin crew careers in 2022, initially focusing on parents whose children had left home.
The airline expanded the initiative in 2024 through its “Returnships” programme, which offered free online and in-person cabin crew taster sessions to hundreds of prospective career changers over 50.
Research conducted around the programme highlighted some of the barriers facing older applicants. Before applying, 28% believed cabin crew was primarily a job for younger people, while 46% worried they would be the oldest person in their training group.
easyJet says the growth in older cabin crew since then suggests those perceptions are beginning to change.
One of those recruits is 64-year-old Francesca Hicks, a former secretary who also worked as a nurse caring for people living with dementia.
After attending an easyJet taster day, Hicks applied for a cabin crew position and completed the airline’s training programme. Eighteen months later, she has worked on more than 250 flights.
“When the opportunity to join easyJet as cabin crew came up, I jumped at the chance,” Hicks said.
“I knew I already held all the skills required for the job, but it gave me another way to use my communication, organisation and interpersonal skills in a new and exciting setting.”
Older cabin crew bring transferable skills
easyJet says older recruits bring skills developed during previous careers that can be particularly useful in the cabin environment.
Among people who changed careers after 50, 79% said they now regarded their age as an advantage rather than a barrier in the workplace.
Problem-solving was the most commonly identified transferable skill, cited by 40% of respondents. Another 35% highlighted their ability to remain calm in unexpected or stressful situations, while 33% pointed to strong communication skills.
Older easyJet employees also appear to be playing a mentoring role within the airline. More than half of cabin crew over 50 surveyed by the carrier said they felt like mentors to younger colleagues.
Three quarters said they felt welcome within their teams and believed age did not matter when working onboard.
The multigenerational workforce has also received a positive response from passengers, according to the airline. Some 68% of crew surveyed said travellers of different ages responded positively to seeing a wider age range among cabin crew.
Hundreds of easyJet cabin crew jobs coming for 2027
Michael Brown, Director of Cabin Services at easyJet, said the increase in older cabin crew demonstrated that more people were considering aviation as a viable second or later career.
“It’s been incredibly encouraging to see the numbers of cabin crew over 50 more than double since 2022 – evidence that many are increasingly viewing cabin crew as a fantastic career pivot regardless of age,” Brown said.
“We want more over 50s to apply as they not only bring their existing skills to excel in a career at easyJet, but also a wealth of life experience that is appreciated by our customers and colleagues alike.”
The airline’s research also found high levels of satisfaction among older employees who had already made the move into aviation.
Two thirds said interacting with passengers was one of the aspects of the job they enjoyed most, while 55% highlighted the variety of working days.
Around 80% said they felt their previous life experience had been valued from the beginning, while 75% said cabin crew training improved their confidence more quickly than expected.
Applications open in September
easyJet will open applications for hundreds of cabin crew positions across its UK bases in September 2026, with successful applicants joining the airline during 2027.
The recruitment campaign forms part of a wider effort by the airline to broaden the demographic profile of its cabin crew workforce and encourage people who may not previously have considered aviation as a career.
Andrew Western, the UK’s Minister for Employment, welcomed the initiative, saying employers could benefit from recognising the experience and skills of older workers.
For easyJet, the results of its recruitment strategy so far suggest age diversity is increasingly becoming part of the airline’s cabin crew workforce rather than an exception.
