A timely joke...
a.k.a. "old stewardesses never die, they just blog away."
Pan Am flight attendants, 1973. I was in a class like this 10 years earlier, in 63.
A stewardess talking to passengers in 1958. My first flying experience had been in 1958, a TWA turbo prop with these seats that faced each other.
A stewardess helps a passenger deplane...everyone used to walk down those portable stairs then walk to the concorse...1958.
United Airlines stewardesses in the 1940s, wearing capes.
The original flight attendants were required to be nurses, so that they could provide care on flights for passengers who were ill, not so they could care for them after a crash! But often stewardesses were injured when a plane hit an air pocket, and the plane might suddenly lurch throwing people and serving carts around a bit.
Flight attendants got to be the preferred title as more men became stewards. Here are a lot of trained young people in the 70s. My training was 4 intense weeks. Nobody was a nurse.
In the late 60s stewardesses became part of the force for women's rights.
These were the uniforms which I wore as a Pan Am stewardess.
The following is a repost of my Pan Am adventures...which I shared here several times before.
I did have a few months of my 21st year flying professionally. I quit college over a failed romance, and took a job as a Flight Attendant for Pan American World Airways (aka Pan Am). The jets had recently started flying passengers, and that's where I worked.
We had to carry our flat shoes in our purses while walking to the planes, where we removed our high heels which could perhaps punch holes in the lightweight floors as we trod up and down the aisles serving as waitresses for almost a hundred people.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMihAQfRS-MAehj78b4Z12ao_4LX2Zpw4P6_M4zXgFJWbU0OQGO4lD6VK_FmxO1JQUHqDHLH8EV-mx5mAoJjWRH7rFPLYB1-26qWWIVeaXiFJEgXvoObgrCP9Gf-iVcxFbVgcyRJKAOiWq/s1600/Olde+pics+008.jpg)
I was flying the Latin American routes instead of learning in college, while my sister and her boyfriend here are seeing me off, after I was hired in April 1963. (Yes, we all walked from the Miami terminal out to the planes...passengers as well as crew.) I flew the 2 jets shown below, learning all the emergency procedures, as well as food service. I also flew in DC-6 and DC-7's, prop planes that flew shorter flights in the Caribbean. I'll never forget the live chickens in a straw shopping bag which was included along with several children piled with mom into one seat.
Wikipedia shares:
I only flew to South and Central American and Caribbean countries, then back to the states. Portugal was the only European country I visited, but there were lots of trips to Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and the east coast of South America as far south as Sao Paolo, Brazil. I flew over Cuba a few times on the way to Puerto Rico. (This was just after the Cuban Missal Crisis.)
I stayed in various hotels on layovers where Pan Am made contracts, in many Latin cities, and San Francisco once. In Caracas, Venezuela there were various political upheavals including armed conflicts, so we stayed out of town at a posh resort.
I loved Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and I had 3 days layover there to see the sights. The flight which I had just worked from New York was a non-stop overnight flight of 12 hours, carrying the Brazilian soccer team. We really had a strain on the little bathrooms when all those men woke up in the morning wanting to shave before landing and meeting their fans.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_5g6peXD9MnXfrQKm5D21lisVBjPstzm3nC6AVCBpqfUj9oXOMQgGVJ6UdQN-BZZ_2HwbJ3SsgjFRyVtjvjMsArEcHB0_-XzO8ObWNKDwpfL1JCdZ922vwf_yZnTtahuJ790dy9H9_k1b/w519-h347/Rio2.jpg)
Boeing 707 |
"Pan Am was the launch customer of the Boeing 707, placing an order for 20 in October 1955. It also ordered 25 of Douglas's DC-8, which could seat six across.
The 320 "Intercontinental" series 707 in 1959-60, and the Douglas DC-8 in March 1960, enabled non-stop transatlantic crossings with a viable payload in both directions.Popular Culture loved Pan Am:
Pan Am held a lofty position in the popular culture of the Cold War era. One of the most famous images in which a Pan Am plane formed a backdrop was The Beatles' 1964 arrival at John F. Kennedy Airport aboard a Pan Am Boeing 707–321, Clipper Defiance.[136]
From 1964 to 1968 con artist Frank Abagnale, Jr. masqueraded as a Pan Am pilot, dead-heading to many destinations in the cockpit jump seat. He also used Pan Am's preferred hotels, paid the bills with bogus checks, and later cashed fake payroll checks in Pan Am's name. He documented this era in the memoir Catch Me if You Can, which became a distantly related movie in 2002. Abagnale called Pan Am the "Ritz-Carlton of airlines" and noted that the days of luxury in airline travel are over.Then almost 50 years later... ABC had the TV show, Pan Am. And it only ran for one season.
Pan Am is an American period drama television series created by writer Jack Orman. Named for the iconic Pan American World Airways, the series features the pilots and stewardesses of the airline as it operated in the early 1960s at the beginning of the commercial Jet Age.
Actresses in the TV Show Pan Am |
Pan Am premiered on ABC on September 25, 2011 and ended on February 19, 2012.
The Pilot Show: April 1963. Dean pilots the Clipper Majestic 's first New York to London flight—his first as a captain—and searches for his girlfriend, Bridget, about whom Dean learns some shocking news. Maggie, a stewardess suspended for not wearing her girdle to work, is unexpectedly reinstated when the scheduled purser, Bridget, does not arrive. Veteran stewardess Kate is revealed to be a CIA courier who was recruited during a layover in Rome three months prior, and she takes her first U.S. intelligence assignment to switch a passenger's passport. Meanwhile, Laura must deal with people asking her if she is the stewardess on the cover of Life magazine, and trying to do her best while not bothering her sister, Kate, who resents Laura's sudden fame. Colette sees a former lover on the flight, only to discover he is accompanied by his wife and son.
Pan Am won the "Best Series" at the Rose d'Or TV awards, Europe's equivalent of the Emmys.This TV series setting took place at exactly the time I was flying; same uniforms, same issues (well without the CIA at least) and different routes.
I only flew to South and Central American and Caribbean countries, then back to the states. Portugal was the only European country I visited, but there were lots of trips to Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and the east coast of South America as far south as Sao Paolo, Brazil. I flew over Cuba a few times on the way to Puerto Rico. (This was just after the Cuban Missal Crisis.)
I stayed in various hotels on layovers where Pan Am made contracts, in many Latin cities, and San Francisco once. In Caracas, Venezuela there were various political upheavals including armed conflicts, so we stayed out of town at a posh resort.
Not where we stayed, but this is a park near Caracas |
I loved Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and I had 3 days layover there to see the sights. The flight which I had just worked from New York was a non-stop overnight flight of 12 hours, carrying the Brazilian soccer team. We really had a strain on the little bathrooms when all those men woke up in the morning wanting to shave before landing and meeting their fans.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_5g6peXD9MnXfrQKm5D21lisVBjPstzm3nC6AVCBpqfUj9oXOMQgGVJ6UdQN-BZZ_2HwbJ3SsgjFRyVtjvjMsArEcHB0_-XzO8ObWNKDwpfL1JCdZ922vwf_yZnTtahuJ790dy9H9_k1b/w519-h347/Rio2.jpg)
I would often be away from my home in Miami Springs FL (near the airport) for a week to 10 days. There might be a trip every day, and sleeping in a different bed each night. Or there might be one trip of 12 hours, then a layover for 3 days. I had no seniority, so I got the flight schedules that were least desirable. But I initially loved all of them.
Not mine, but a typical Pan Am Crew of Flight Attendants (aka Stewardesses) ready to go to work. Each plane had it's own name, and was considered a Clipper Ship. |
The traveling waitress life had a toll on me. I may have been recovering from my broken romance, but I was also away from home for the first time with no friends to speak of. I was immersed in a culture of mostly Hispanic women and men, and I felt pretty lonely.
On the right is Joanne Naglieri, to become my son's mother-in-law many years later. Chubby Checker needs no introduction.
As a stewardess I stretched myself too thin with days and nights of work, then partying much of the time I wasn't working. I think I was having a bit of delayed adolescence.
British Stewardess, Betty Riegel welcoming passengers in the same style uniform which I wore. |
Our uniforms were tailored, but with all the good food I was eating, I already was stretched to the limit in mine. The blue cloth was not as bright a blue as shown in the TV series, either.
Soon I was so glad to leave the supposedly romantic traveling life of a waitress in a plane to settle down with an old friend who wanted to get married. At that time stewardesses weren't allowed to get married or have children. And suddenly that was exactly what I wanted.
I do still enjoy a flight now and then...squeezed usually against some giant person or another...but I really enjoy a take off which feels so grand to the bottom of my shoes. Glad I never really had a lot of "G's" like an astronaut, or this might be chicken feed.
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Read Betty Riegel's story I Lived the High Life as A Pan Am Stewardess HERE.
Wikipedia is my source for most quoted materials and photos.
Images of the two advertisements are from PanAmAir.org.
Information about Pan Am the TV Show comes also from Wikipedia HERE.
I do still enjoy a flight now and then...squeezed usually against some giant person or another...but I really enjoy a take off which feels so grand to the bottom of my shoes. Glad I never really had a lot of "G's" like an astronaut, or this might be chicken feed.
--------------------------------
Read Betty Riegel's story I Lived the High Life as A Pan Am Stewardess HERE.
Wikipedia is my source for most quoted materials and photos.
Images of the two advertisements are from PanAmAir.org.
Information about Pan Am the TV Show comes also from Wikipedia HERE.
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And later, much later, my middle son married a woman whose mother had also been a Pan Am stewardess. She worked out of the New York station while I worked out of Miami, and we would maybe have passed each other in the concourses somewhere. She worked much longer than I did, on flights to Europe. Stewardesses were required to speak at least 2 languages, and mine was Spanish, while Joanne's was either French or Italian.
Sharing with Sepia Saturday, where most of my historic posts have been shared, as well as a lot of trivia from the past!
Today's Quote:
"Where Beauty was, nothing ever ran quite straight, which, no doubt, was why so many people looked on it as immoral."
John Galsworthy author of Forsythe Saga. B. Aug 14, 1867
Great recollections, accompanied by great pictures. One of the earliest flights I ever took was with Pan Am - to Caracas, Venzuela. Long time ago!
ReplyDeleteA good flight which I flew several times out of Miami. The one from NY to Rio was the longest one I flew. Caracas was having political problems when we flew there, so I didn't get to see the city, and am sorry about that.
DeleteWhat a fun post, I am sure you enjoyed all your travels working as a stewardess.
ReplyDeleteTake care, enjoy your day and happy Easter weekend!
I did enjoy most of the travels. Good to have you visit. Have a great Easter weekend.
DeleteEnjoyed this post! I remember thinking what a glamorous job that would be.
ReplyDeleteIt did have a reputation, and some of it was true. I had to convince my parents that airplane travel was as safe, or safer than crossing a street. Thank goodness there was a statistic that said as much. But it was also wearing being my first time away from home on my own. A bit too much for this naïve' girl I think.
DeleteI think i remember you mentioning this part of your life once before but this was much more thorough IIRC.
ReplyDeleteThanks...yes, I've been holding many photos in my folder for a long time...and hopefully I won't publish again next year!!
DeleteWhat an incredible story and career! Oh, the stories I am sure you could tell!
ReplyDeleteThere were definitely some interesting encounters, both at work, and when off duty!!
DeleteWow! I had no idea you were once a flight attendant. What great experiences you had and a wonderful way to explore the world.
ReplyDeleteI'm not one to bring up an event that was so short lived in my life...usually. But when I saw how far back in history it now is, I might as well share with you all!
DeleteI had no idea that you had been a flight attendant. Did you watch the Pan Am show? If so, was it accurate?
ReplyDeleteYes I watched that TV show...a bit was accurate...the planes, the service. But it was a sit-com, so the plot took over people and the characters were probably somewhat like real people... but none of the ones I knew. I did date a pilot once, who was my mother's age! That was funny...not at all like the show was!
DeleteHi Barbara, Very nice post about your life as a Flight Attendant... Interesting and it had to get old after a while! The rules for stewardesses were quite restrictive, that's for sure. Your post brought about many related memories for me with all the traveling I've done over the years, both for business and pleasure. First flight for me was in 1957 on a North Central Convair 240 from Detroit to Buffalo. I was in a college prep school in Niagara Falls. I also flew on Lake Central Airlines (a DC-3!), Mohawk and Capital Airlines in those days. (Vickers Viscount on Capital) I loved flying...not so much these days as its like being in a bus or cattle car. Never had the pleasure of flying Pan Am but always wanted to. I've flown on at least 19 US airlines that no longer exist plus of course American, United, Delta and Alaska. Overseas it's been Quantas, Air New Zealand, British Airlines and AeroMexico. Ahhh...memories! Take Care, Big Daddy Dave
ReplyDeleteGlad to have triggered some pleasant memories for you Dave! We both had our first flights about the same age! I always thought I might stay in so I could someday do the round the world trip on Pan Am. It was always my dream, but reality is different, isn't it!
DeleteWhat an interesting post. My wife's cousin was a Pan Am flight attendant back in the 70s.
ReplyDeleteGreat to hear about your wife's cousin flying with Pan Am also...some good memories for both of us I'm sure!
DeleteWow, never knew a lot of this or that you had been one for a time.
ReplyDeleteI have been collecting those old photos, thinking someday I'd use them. And today it happened!
DeleteYou have something big in common with the Pirate...
ReplyDeleteStarted with PanAm in 1969 with the delivery of the first 747 100s. A real pig to keep in the air! Original engines underpowered and could be easily over boosted. The whole programme survived in his opinion and others no doubt, that British Airways took delivery of their initial six, but the BA pilots refused to fly them for the same salary as the VC10 and Boeing 707.
Miraculously Boeing PanAm and BA somehow hatched a plan that PanAm would have the 24 engines off the grounded planes at Heathrow.
Therefore saving the whole programme while in the meantime Pratt and Whitney engines were quickly beefed up to take the necessary work load. During his time there he had the somewhat nailbiting task of putting the first fuel on the aircraft that went direct London Los Angeles. 325,000 pounds of gas!!
This is the same amount of weight that a 707 is fully loaded.
He loved his time at Pan Am as a flight mechanic to start and resulted in him becoming a fully licenced air frame and power plant mechanic. In 1974 he jumped ship to work for Seaboard World cargo airlines when they took delivery of Boeing 747 all freight version. Pan Am has really happy memories for him, and the aircraft that was sadly lost at Lockerbie was a dream machine to be assigned.
Wow, isn't that wonderful to have worked for the same company. Sorry to hear about the engine problem, but I think I heard a bit about it over the news...whatever was filtered down. Glad to hear your Pirate had some enjoyable time with them too! A good CEO if I remember right.
DeleteA whole lot of memories.
ReplyDeleteSo I said what I remembered, padded a bit with a TV show, and other photos I found!
DeleteThis was my dream job when I was a girl.
ReplyDeleteI don't really remember what dream job I had...my dream was probably to be an artist, or just a mother and wife.
DeleteI am not a fan of flying but I don't let it keep me from getting where I want to go. My Dr. prescribes a low dose of Valium for my flying time and it helps. The two most disliked parts of flying to me are the take-off and landing but even so - I find flying exciting. That must seem a little strange. The best experience I've had with flying was with British Airways. We were treated so well on our two flights with them. Alaska Airlines is a close second. I remember one Alaska Airlines trip where, because of good tail winds, we arrived in Seattle ahead of schedule so no gates were available yet. The captain gave us a choice. We could wait on the plane for a gate to become available, or we could deplane now on those portable metal steps to the tarmac and walk into the airport. The vote was unanimous - we'd take the steps to the tarmac and walk! :)
ReplyDeleteA dear friend who lives near me in NC has a son who is a pilot for Alaska Airlines. I'll tell her your story! I would have voted the same. Who likes to just sit in a plane? That's unfortunately the predicament of many due to various problems before take off.
DeleteMy sister in law worked as a flight attendant for United. She became a union rep and went back to school to become a lawyer.
ReplyDeletePersonally I don't like flying any more. So much standing in line at the airport is tiring and the planes are crowded, less comfortable than a bus.
Oh yes, we could all do without the TSA...or at least they could stream-line the needed procedures so the wait isn't so long for everyone!
DeleteWow, that's a lot of travelling. I can count on my fingers the number of times I've been on a plane - and the last time was in the late 1970s!
ReplyDeleteI think I'd only been on a plane once when I took that job. Didn't keep track after that. I sure do understand choosing other methods of travel.
DeleteWhat a great history, Barb. I must have missed it on previous posts. I worked for the Assoc. of Flight Attendants for four years in the 1990s as managing editor of their magazine, Flightlog. The flying was less glamorous then -- with airlines being merged by corporate owners who were more interested in the bottom line than with flight. But the flight crews continued to be involved in women's and worker rights as you describe.
ReplyDeleteSo interesting to hear your side of flying and the flight crews. Yes their rights were in the ditch for a long time! Too bad all the airlines mergers and closings. My sister also flew for a while, for Eastern. Another dream gone.
DeleteWonderful history and memories. I can still remember my first flight traveling alone at age 14 from Virginia to NYC to visit my dad. It was a DC-3 which loaded using stairs. I used up a couple rolls of film taking photos of the view from my window seat. It seemed magical that I could fly such a distance. Air travel used to be something we all relished for the novelty if not adventure, but lately I think flying has become something we endure and even dread.
ReplyDelete