When was the last time you saw an all-male cabin crew on a flight? Probably never. So it’s no wonder a China Airlines flight from Taoyuan to New York recently went viral for its all-male crew, with some passengers joking it felt like the debut of a boyband.

Now, before you think it was a marketing gimmick, it isn’t. The people who actually made it happen were the male crew members themselves, who had started planning from three months ago. 

Among them is China Airlines crew member Derek Lin, who shared on Instagram how they pulled this off.

“We started planning in August (this year), checking everyone’s flight bidding habits and schedules. We even agreed: if someone outside our group with higher seniority slipped in, we would cancel the trip. We didn’t expect all of us to get it on the first try,” he wrote.

According to Derek, the Taiwanese carrier had an unwritten rule limiting the number of male cabin crew per flight, quietly favouring female flight attendants.

Derek also highlighted a practical reason the group chose to do this on a New York flight.

“Our contract hotel is in the perfect area. Great for activities, meals, and exploring. I fly to JFK Airport at least eight to 10 times a year, and know the city well, and even have friends there to help,” he explained.

Derek wrapped up his post by hoping that this move won’t be seen as a groundbreaking milestone in the near future.

“No more gender boxes, no more labels, no more outdated expectations,” he wrote.

While most netizens applauded the initiative as a refreshing step towards inclusivity, not everyone was impressed.

One left a barbed comment, “For centuries, women had little to no rights. This performative all-male stunt feels less like progress, and more like a tone-deaf celebration”.