We like to celebrate all our team members’ birthdays, but Pam Clark deserves a special celebration. At 73 years old, Pam is our oldest employee and one of Britain’s oldest Cabin Crew members. A grandmother and soon-to-be great-grandmother, she’s known as ‘Nana Pam’.

On a flight to Madrid 20 years ago, former hairdresser Pam picked up a recruitment advert and decided it was finally time to make her childhood dream come true – at the age of 53. With 20 years of loyal service, Pam has welcomed an estimated 800,000 passengers on board 4,500 flights. 

Finding the courage to make a change

When Pam showed up for her first day of training, despite worries she would stand out among younger colleagues, she found herself welcomed into a team from all walks of life and her exceptional customer service and people skills saw her thrive in what turned out to be her longest career of all.

Asked about her decision to take to the skies later in life she said, ‘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. Nowadays, I’m meeting more and more colleagues like me who have made a brave career change later in life. Don’t be afraid!”

Taking on a new challenge

Our research in 2022 found that 78% of parents, aged 45 and over, want to take on a new challenge once their children fly the nest. Over half (57%) of the 2,000 British adults aged over 45 who were surveyed, said they hoped to find a career they were truly passionate about now their children were not dependent on them.

Jane Storm, Group People Director at easyJet said, “At easyJet we put people at the heart of everything we do. We’re incredibly proud to have Pam on our team and she is a testament to our warm and welcoming cabin crew, who have a passion for great customer service. We would encourage people of all ages who share our passion to come on board and with Pam’s 73rd birthday just around the corner, we’re hopeful she will inspire even more talented people to join us in the future.“

Following your dreams

Pam is now also a recruitment ambassador and helps encourage other over 45s to follow their dreams just as she did and discover what life as cabin crew at easyJet is like. “My favourite part of the job has been meeting passengers from all over the world and giving them the most enjoyable travel experience possible. I’m proud to work at a company that puts people first,” explains Pam. She’s been the welcoming smile and helpful hand for premiership footballers, TV stars and even a precious trombone that needed its own seat.

Pam celebrated her 73rd birthday with a framed photograph of her completing her recruitment training and a cake shaped like an easyJet plane with a sugar figure of herself on top of it. The cake looked almost too good to eat. Almost.