Like most employees, airline staff have been put on furlough and had their wage packets trimmed dramatically. But rather than sit and wait for the skies to re-open, in Thailand, they've taken the initiative.

In the good times their lives are seen as highly glamorous. Airline pilots and cabin crew jetting around the world, designer uniforms aboard sleek planes worth billions of dollars.

But COVID-19 has proved to be a great leveler. As many as 300 aircrew have exchanged the cockpit for the saddle, to set up a motorbike delivery service across Bangkok and beyond.

With the majority of people forced to stay at home, the demand for home delivery has soared. Airbus pilot Thanun Khantatabumroong was already a two-wheel enthusiast. Now he uses any of his three big bikes to deliver food, drinks, parcels and documents.

"Pilots and crew have no flights at the moment, so many of us have started home businesses," he told CGTN.

Some of them prepare food, while others sell products online. Delivery costs were expensive, so a few of them agreed to make the deliveries themselves; which has now grown from four or five people to around 300.

"I suppose people do have the image of us having high-flying careers, but we are just regular human beings with responsibilities and expenses like everyone else," he said.

A group of female flight attendants living near Bangkok's Don Mueang airport have begun another business preparing fresh fruit juice. They travel to markets to buy oranges and then squeeze the fruit and bottle the juice at home.

Elsewhere, a team of aero-engine maintenance engineers have turned their hand to servicing air-conditioning units.

And an internet marketplace started in Thailand by aviation employees called "Crew Online Market" has thousands of members.

Flight attendant Kosit Rattanasophon is another bike enthusiast who also enjoys cooking. He takes orders to supply food to friends and a growing list of customers.

First he prepares pre-packed meals in lunch boxes at his house in Bangkok and then delivers them by bike to homes and offices.

"There's the safety element, taking care riding the bike as I would take care in the air, and also dealing with people, trying to be helpful and communicating clearly," he added, saying his flight skills helped a lot.

One thing he enjoys about the job was the more regular hours, he mentioned. As part of a flight crew, they would be called whenever the flight was going to take off, so they often didn't get to eat or sleep properly; but now they are able to wake in the morning and have normal hours. 

One of Kosit's customers is Anuruk Lekdee, who lives in a condominium in central Bangkok. He said it made him feel special having his lunch delivered by an airline person. 

"I think people should look for new jobs during this period, it's good to see people seek new opportunities in their lives."

But making deliveries also means they have to drive through heavy traffic, work in hot weather and tried to find the correct address in a huge and confusing city, Pilot Thanun said.

"It's given me a new understanding of people like postmen and other delivery people, and how hard they work," he said.