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.

泰国某航空公司将在某条新航线启用变性人妖担任“人妖空姐”，一些人称此举将有助于人妖在泰国得到更广泛的承认。人妖在泰国已经非常普遍。

跨性别者和变性者在泰国也被称为“变性女”或“人妖”，这些人在泰国可以从事多种行业的主流工作。她们在化妆品商店、药店特别常见，这类商店几乎都有一位变性人妖助理。

泰国PC航空的这条新的包机航线的人妖空姐上周四在从曼谷开往南部城市苏拉特他尼的航班上首次亮相，为乘客提供饮料、零食、并完成安全示范，其中包括22岁的谭雅娜。

谭雅娜说：“这是泰国接受变性人的开始，给我们机会在不同的行业工作。”

“也许在将来，我们可以从事变性人之前从没从事过的任何工作，比如警察、士兵、甚至飞行员。”

PC航空公司的名字来自总裁陈彼得名字的首字母，最初计划只招募男性和女性空乘人员，但在100多名变性人和异装癖者也报名后改变了想法。

除了19名女性和7名男性外，公司还招募了4名变性人。该航空公司表示，“人妖空姐”的职位要求和普通女性空姐一样，附加条件是走路和说话的方式要像女生，嗓音也要像女生。

航空公司总裁陈彼得说，“人妖空姐”其实也许还有优势。

他补充说：“她们也许能提供更好的服务，因为她们不仅了解男性，还了解女性。而且她们都按照航空标准进行了良好训练。”

新的招聘自今年2月开始，自此之后成功应聘者都经过了安全措施、飞行服务和化妆方面的训练。

PC航空公司不仅有泰国国内航线，还有几条亚洲航线，包括日本和韩国。