Thai transsexual ladyboys are taking to the air as flight attendants for a new airline, a move that some said could be a key step towards still broader acceptance in a nation where they are already unusually visible.

Known as "katoeys" or "ladyboys," transgenders and transsexuals hold mainstream jobs in a variety of fields in Thailand. They are especially common in cosmetics shops or health stores, which almost always have a ladyboy shop assistant.

Working for new charter airline PC Air, transsexual flight attendants including 22-year-old Tanyarat Jirapatpakorn made their debut on a flight from Bangkok to the southern city of Surat Thani on Thursday, serving drinks and snacks and carrying out safety demonstrations.

"This is the beginning of the acceptance of transsexuals in Thailand, giving the opportunity for us to work in various fields," said Tanyarat.

"Maybe in the future we can get any job that transsexuals never did before, such as police, soldiers or even pilots."

PC Air, whose name comes from the initials of president Peter Chan, originally planned only to hire male and female flight attendants, but changed its mind after more than 100 transsexuals and transvestites applied as well.

Four were chosen, along with 19 female and 7 male flight attendants. The airline said qualifications for the ladyboy flight attendants were the same as for female flight attendants, with the additional provisos that they be like women in how they walked and talked, and have a feminine voice.

Chan, the airline president, said the ladyboy flight attendants actually might have a special advantage.

"They might provide better services because they understand both males and females. And they're well trained according to the aviation standard," he added.

The new recruits were chosen in February and have been training since in security measures, in-flight services, and make-up application.

PC Air flies domestically as well as to several Asian destinations, including Japan and South Korea.

泰國某航空公司將在某條新航線啟用變性人妖擔任“人妖空姐”，一些人稱此舉將有助于人妖在泰國得到更廣泛的承認。人妖在泰國已經非常普遍。

跨性別者和變性者在泰國也被稱為“變性女”或“人妖”，這些人在泰國可以從事多種行業的主流工作。她們在化妝品商店、藥店特別常見，這類商店幾乎都有一位變性人妖助理。

泰國PC航空的這條新的包機航線的人妖空姐上周四在從曼谷開往南部城市蘇拉特他尼的航班上首次亮相，為乘客提供飲料、零食、并完成安全示范，其中包括22歲的譚雅娜。

譚雅娜說：“這是泰國接受變性人的開始，給我們機會在不同的行業工作。”

“也許在將來，我們可以從事變性人之前從沒從事過的任何工作，比如警察、士兵、甚至飛行員。”

PC航空公司的名字來自總裁陳彼得名字的首字母，最初計劃只招募男性和女性空乘人員，但在100多名變性人和異裝癖者也報名后改變了想法。

除了19名女性和7名男性外，公司還招募了4名變性人。該航空公司表示，“人妖空姐”的職位要求和普通女性空姐一樣，附加條件是走路和說話的方式要像女生，嗓音也要像女生。

航空公司總裁陳彼得說，“人妖空姐”其實也許還有優勢。

他補充說：“她們也許能提供更好的服務，因為她們不僅了解男性，還了解女性。而且她們都按照航空標準進行了良好訓練。”

新的招聘自今年2月開始，自此之后成功應聘者都經過了安全措施、飛行服務和化妝方面的訓練。

PC航空公司不僅有泰國國內航線，還有幾條亞洲航線，包括日本和韓國。