Last week marked the 90th anniversary of airline flight attendants, and it carries with it a story about changing roles in American society as well.
For a start, back then the title was 'stewardess,' and most of us over 50 grew up with all the leering jokes and attitudes that went with airline advertising that emphasized their looks and desirability. Even today, many people fly without realizing that passenger safety, not service is their key role and that their presence is legally mandated.
The first flight attendant, Ellen Church, was certainly prepared for a serious role; when she went to work for Boeing Air Transport, predecessor of United Airlines, she was both a registered nurse and a qualified commercial pilot. Boeing wasn't interested in that part.
Flights in those days were generally fairly short hops, flown at relatively low altitudes with significant turbulence. They couldn't fly above the turbulence because they weren't pressurized. The idea of hiring the first flight attendants was to have someone aboard to help keep passengers calm.
The first flight for Church (below, welcoming a passenger aboard) was a 20-hour run from Oakland, California to Chicago, with 13 stops en route.
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