Flight to You Episode 19 Recap
> Flight to You Recap
That night, Gu Nanting found himself restless in bed. He rose and wandered around his home, eventually finding peace only after carefully taping Cheng Xiao's hand-drawn flight route map onto the large glass pane in his plant room before finally going to sleep. Three days later, Song Song confided in Cheng Xiao about his growing affection for Li Yuheng. He admitted his insecurity, feeling vastly inferior to Gu Nanting, especially after sensing Li Yuheng's deep feelings for him.
Cheng Xiao vehemently encouraged Song Song, asserting that Gu Nanting only saw Li Yuheng as a "sister." During their conversation, Cheng Xiao openly declared her own affections for Gu Nanting, much to Song Song’s relief. Following the tireless efforts of Ni Zhan and his engineers, "Q," the aircraft Cheng Xiao had flown during a critical incident, was restored to service. Understanding Cheng Xiao's lingering guilt, Ni Zhan specially arranged for her and Gu Nanting to pilot its first flight post-repair.
Cheng Xiao was overjoyed, and Ni Zhan personally oversaw their departure from the tarmac, watching proudly until "Q" ascended and vanished from sight. Meanwhile, Xia Zhi's animated short film on flight safety, created through resource exchanges with the PR Department and collaborations with advertising companies, was released on Luzhou Airlines' official social media account. It quickly garnered immense popularity, racking up over 200,000 reposts, thanks in part to celebrity Duan Chao's prompt sharing, which Xia Zhi skillfully leveraged.
The airline's social media following soon surpassed one million, prompting the PR Department to celebrate with a cake. While Xia Zhi's colleagues joined in the cheer, Qi Yu expressed her disdain, sarcastically suggesting Xia Zhi transfer to the PR Department. Unfazed, Xia Zhi expressed keen interest in such a role, seeing it as an opportunity to promote the company using her strengths. Later, Xu Ce and other mid-level executives reviewed the animated film, praising the PR Department.
Xu Ce specifically commended the PR Department and suggested that Liang Yue should effectively utilize Xia Zhi's unique talents. Turning to Jiang Tao, Xu Ce inquired about the Flight Department's stance on recruiting female pilots, pointing out that Luzhou Airlines hadn't hired any in five years. Jiang Tao maintained that, with the exception of Xie Zetian and Gu Nanting, the entire department opposed the idea, attributing Gu Nanting's differing view to his subjective experience training a female pilot.
Xu Ce then sought Ni Zhan's opinion. Ni Zhan acknowledged the principle of majority rule but suggested a more rigorous, data-driven analysis was needed. Impressed, Xu Ce assigned the comprehensive research on female pilot recruitment to Gu Nanting. However, when Gu Nanting requested a month to conduct thorough investigations, Jiang Tao immediately limited the research period to one week.
Soon after, Song Song attempted to assist Gu Nanting with the extensive data required for the research by secretly taking a file, but Gu Nanting insisted he return it and refrain from interfering. When Cheng Xiao arrived at the company to submit her task letter, she encountered a frustrated Song Song, who informed her that Gu Nanting was pulling an all-nighter for the report.
Cheng Xiao promptly offered her help, boldly asserting that as a female pilot, she was uniquely qualified to contribute. Despite Gu Nanting's initial reluctance and a reminder about mandatory rest hours, Cheng Xiao insisted she could compensate for sleep later. Unable to deter her, Gu Nanting conceded, albeit with a firm warning that there would be no extra pay and that it would not happen again.
Concurrently, after a flight, Xia Zhi launched a live stream, introducing her viewers to the daily activities aboard an aircraft, from cleaning staff to mechanics. Later, Ai Jia approached Xia Zhi, acknowledging her newfound online popularity. Ai Jia informed her that Liang Yue and the PR Department held her in high regard and offered her a part-time position.
While Xia Zhi was reluctant to abandon her flight attendant role, Ai Jia reassured her of her potential and proposed a flexible arrangement where Xia Zhi would have fewer flights and dedicate the remaining time to working with the PR Department. Xia Zhi gratefully accepted, likening herself to an "amphibian" balancing two roles.
As Cheng Xiao and Gu Nanting worked through the night, Gu Nanting showed his concern by arranging a designated driver to take Cheng Xiao home, leaving her with a warm feeling. Meanwhile, Xia Zhi's creative endeavors flourished. Collaborating with Li Yuheng as a model, Xia Zhi produced short videos documenting the authentic daily lives of flight attendants. The series rapidly gained traction, propelling their fan count to 250,000.
Over the following week, Cheng Xiao and Song Song dedicated their free time to assisting Gu Nanting with the research. They meticulously compiled data on female pilots from various airlines and aviation schools. Gu Nanting then synthesized this information into a detailed recruitment proposal. At the presentation, he highlighted that female pilots had a significantly lower dropout rate of 5% compared to the 10-15% for male pilots, and also possessed a slightly lower error rate.
He cited Cheng Xiao's calm response during a recent incident as an example. Jiang Tao dismissed Cheng Xiao as a "controversial exception" and questioned the feasibility of recruitment given the stark disparity in aviation graduates, with only 25 females compared to 389 males. Gu Nanting countered with survey data showing strong interest from female students in related fields and proposed recruiting 5-8% female pilots.
However, Jiang Tao presented his own data revealing that over 90% of other airlines planned to recruit only men, arguing it was a strategic move to "protect profits" and avoid "unknown management risks." Despite Gu Nanting’s plea for a more open approach, Jiang Tao rejected the plan for the next year. Waiting anxiously outside, Cheng Xiao was deeply disappointed upon learning of the rejection. Soon after, she received an invitation from "New Insight," a public speaking program.
Recognizing an opportunity, she proposed that Gu Nanting appear on the show to discuss female pilots, believing that leveraging media and public opinion could pressure the company. Gu Nanting initially suggested Cheng Xiao would be more suitable, but she argued that a male pilot speaking for women's rights would be more convincing. Convinced, Gu Nanting agreed. Later, Cheng Xiao attempted to invite him to dinner by fabricating a story about her gas and stove being broken.
Missing her hint completely, Gu Nanting instead pulled out his phone to call property management for repairs, leaving Cheng Xiao exasperated. Separately, Xia Zhi began documenting Song Song’s daily life for her video series. During filming, his mother called to urge him home for a family gathering, which Xia Zhi correctly guessed was a blind date and playfully teased him by calling him "Song Xiaoni." Later, Xia Zhi filmed Xie Zetian in the cockpit.
While they waited for takeoff, Li Yuheng brought them food. Song Song expressed his admiration for Xie Zetian and Ai Jia's marriage and his own desire to find a flight attendant wife. Xie Zetian reflected on the challenges and benefits of "dual-flight families," acknowledging the frequent separation but emphasizing the mutual understanding that comes from shared professional experiences, subtly encouraging Song Song's line of thought.