I changed careers at 55 to become a flight attendant. I didn't expect my age to be such an advantage.

This story is based on an interview with Craig Celek, 56, a flight attendant from Brooklyn. It has been edited for length and clarity.

Right out of college, I worked for a publishing company in Hong Kong for 15 years before becoming a store manager at New Balance, and then taking a leadership role at Saks Off 5th.

My 15 years in retail were amazing, but I started to get itchy feet. I started looking for my next opportunity, and a job on an airline was attractive to me.

I have a lot of friends my in their late 40s and 50s who have turned their second or third act into becoming flight attendants. They encouraged me to apply in November 2025.

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I knew that the main US airlines — American, United, and Delta — were open to hiring older people, especially those with a background in customer service.

Each offered me a job, but I was most impressed with Delta's interview process. It felt reassuring that half of my tryout group was over 45. One was 62.

So I took the training in early February. I'm sure my time in retail was the most important factor. Still, I think one of the reasons Delta hires Gen Xers is because we know how to work.

We have life experience, which translates into the ability to understand people's needs and respond in emergency situations.

I came into the business seasoned, and I leaned into listening first rather than reacting. Age comes with patience and wisdom.

The skills I developed during some of the most difficult days in retail have helped me every day in my new job. If the customer finds something not up to standard, your first thought is, "How do I get them to where they are happy?"

I was once on a flight that was supposed to be only from Atlanta to LaGuardia, which should have taken no more than two hours. Some terrible weather came in, and the journey was 11 hours altogether.