Air Travel’s Glory Years
Tuesday, November 3, 2009 Come fly with me. Oh the exciting lifestyle of a flight attendant, or to be more accurate, the stewardess when referring to these vintage photos. The flight attendant title wouldn't come to be until the late 1960’s. Back then ladies would be retired at the old age of 32 or upon your marriage, whichever comes first! Nice policy. But you see there was still glory and romance in this profession; jetting to Rome, wearing designer uniforms and dining across continents for a young lady.
I did get to know a few flight attendants during my years traveling millions of miles above 30 thousand feet. Ahem. Just kidding- I have a tremendous amount of respect for everyone of them and always had generally good experiences. But, things have changed and the so called art in the air is so, so different. It seems that form of transportation has become a victim of extremes; passengers looking for bus fare rates and trying to carry everything they own onboard including farm animals. And yes, I did witness a passenger boarding with a live chicken. And now every ounce of refreshment and entertainment translates into added operating costs, so we do without the drink and magazine or movie.
Oh here's a conversation I overheard and will never forget. The Flight Attendant, “Hi sir, would you like the beef or the chicken?” The Passenger, “Do you have fish?” I guess somehow, food at 30K feet seems better?
What it now comes down to is this- the passenger has to do more to get more. It's just the way it is, so to make it more comfortable for yourself here are a couple of sites that are good for pre-boarding research. You can check out reviews of the exact seat you will be in prior to your next flight at SeatGuru. Do your travel research and you’ll make everyone’s travel easier, budget-in for flight delays at FlightAware. My philosophy is be prepared, but expect the unexpected.
Oh, and when the flight attendant makes the announcement to remain in your seat until we come to the gate, they are talking to you person next-to-me already on your cellphone. Smile. And folks, thank you for flying with us!
