Age limits, honestly: which airlines hire at 18, which stop at 30, and the over 35 applicant's real options
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#1 Birmingham, 34, aspiring, and I have wasted months on airline pages that say 'minimum age 21' and forums that say 'they only want 22 year olds'. Here is the actual picture as I have pieced it together from crew on this forum and the current requirement pages, because the age question is asked constantly and answered badly.
Minimum ages
18: most UK and European low cost carriers (easyJet, Ryanair, Jet2, Wizz Air, TUI), most US carriers (some 20 or 21), most Australian carriers, most Latin American carriers.
21: Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad, most Gulf carriers, Turkish Airlines, Singapore Airlines (18 for some, check), most Asian carriers.
The minimum is a hard line. The day you turn it, you can apply.
Maximum ages
Most European, UK, US, Canadian and Australian carriers: none, legally, because age discrimination law. They hire at 40, 50, and beyond, and the crew on this forum with training group ages up to 52 confirm it.
Gulf carriers: no published maximum, and in practice most new hires are under 35, with exceptions for experienced crew. Not a rule. A pattern.
Some Asian carriers: a published or practical maximum for new hires, often 30 or 35, and it is applied. Korean, Japanese, Chinese and some Southeast Asian carriers. Not all. Check each.
Turkish Airlines: a published range for foreign hires (21 to 30 at most events), applied.
The over 35 applicant's real options
Europe, UK, North America, Australia: everything. Apply to all of it. The crew on this forum who joined at 36, 42, 47 are at these carriers.
The Gulf: possible with experience, harder without. An ex crew member at 38 has a real chance. A career changer at 38 with no aviation has a harder one, and should apply anyway because the pattern is not a rule.
Asia: mostly closed for new hires over the published limit. Some exceptions for language hires.
The honest advice
At 34 with no aviation experience, my realistic list is the UK and European carriers, which is a long list and includes some very good jobs. The Gulf is a maybe. Asia is a no. I am applying to easyJet, Jet2 and TUI this month and I have stopped reading the '22 year olds only' posts.
Corrections welcome, with the airline.
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#2 Qantas domestic, joined at 31, training group to 52, as I wrote elsewhere. The Australian and European picture is exactly this. Apply to all of it.
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#3 Gulf carrier, joined at 34 after EgyptAir. Chris has the Gulf right: with experience, possible, and I am the proof. Without, harder, and I know one who did it at 36 from a hotel job. Pattern, not rule.
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#4 Korean Air, and the Asian maximum is real and applied and Chris is right to say so plainly. A 34 year old candidate with no experience would not be hired here. Other regions are open. Go there.
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#6 Ex TUI, and TUI hired at every age I can think of, including a 55 year old ex teacher who was the best crew member at the base. UK leisure carriers actively like life experience for the family passenger. Apply.
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#7 Air New Zealand, joined at 34 with a child, and the same picture. Everything Chris lists for Australia applies to us. The age barrier is a Gulf and Asia thing, and a soft one in the Gulf.