"I see the road ahead and it's murky," Hau said.

Nearly 100 flight attendants from Cathay Pacific, British Airways and Dragonair staged a protest Sunday urging the government to legislate against the current practice of involuntary retirement at age 45 for flight attendants.

"I am so worried. Half of my retired co-workers last year still have not found jobs," Hau said. "I worked in the hotel industry a long time ago, but the skills I gained then are already outdated."

Cathay Pacific steward Aero Lai, 32, said: "It's not fair. Some co-workers [from other countries], who joined our company before 1993, are eligible to choose retirement at 55 or 60."

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Ivy Lee, 27, also a Cathay flight attendant, noting the airline's London- based cabin crew have a later retirement age, said: "[Our airline] discriminates against Hong Kong employees."

In Britain, the United States and Canada, the retirement age ranges from 60 to 65.

United Airlines' association of flight attendants sent a representative to the protest and read a statement of support.

"Over the past 60 years, we have successfully fought to ensure people, regardless of gender, age, or ethnicity, could build a flight attendant career that ends with a dignified retirement at the age we choose to leave the profession," UA's Melanie Bell, 52, said.

"I know a former Cathay Pacific flight attendant who [went to UA] after 45," Bell added.

Lee Cheuk-yan, chairman of the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions, a co-organizer of the rally, supported the call for legislation to end discrimination.

"It's not only about age discrimination, but also it's a form of racism," Lee said. "British Airways was able to raise the retirement age of its United Kingdom cabin crew to 65 recently and Cathay Pacific has double standards regarding its London- and Hong Kong- based cabin crews."

A Cathay Pacific spokeswoman said: "Different jobs in different countries have different retirement ages. Different countries have their own laws."

Any change in policy is "very complicated," she said.

In a letter to the Cathay Pacific union dated March 30, management said: "Age is not a factor in staff recruitment, training or promotion. [But] extending the retirement age would have an adverse affect on the promotional progress of more junior crew, and would incur additional costs for the airline."