stew·ard·ess
–noun
a woman flight attendant.
flight attendant
–noun
an airline employee who serves meals, attends to passengers' comfort, etc., during a flight.
Even though both words have virtually the same meaning, there's a huge difference in what makes one a 'stewardess' as opposed to a 'flight attendant.' And just so you know 'stewardesses' still exist to this day!
TRIVIA: The very first flight attendant (steward) was a male. Heinrich Kubis. He flew as a steward on the Zeppelin fleet including the Graf Zeppelin and Hindenburg. More about male flight attendants in another post.
The first female stewardess was Ellen Church hired by United Airlines in 1930. She was 25 and a registered nurse. Once airlines began hiring stewardesses, being a nurse was a requirement. This requirement was relaxed at the start of WW2.
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Ellen Church |
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Braniff International |
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PSA Airlines |
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Delta Air Lines |
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National Airlines |
Many challenges that stewardesses faced (age limitations, no-marriage clause, weight requirements) were laid to the wayside in the 70's and 80's.
It was at the end of the 70's that the term flight attendant replaced stewardess.
Even though the term stewardess was jettisoned, stewardesses still exist if you know what to look for. During our time as flight attendants it was a pure delight to fly with a stewardess. She, after all the years in the air, still:
- loves her job
- smiles at the customers
- works seamlessly with her crew
- has a great attitude
- can fit into her uniform from when she was 21
- has style, grace and poise
- ALWAYS looks fabulous in her uniform (nails, hair, make up)
- can wear a pair of heels for 9 hours, while working, across the Atlantic (you'll see no Dansko's on her feet!) -- Dansko's should be banned!
- she's loved by her passengers
- brings glamour to this, still, amazing career
It's nice to know (and I'm sure the passengers would agree) that even in today's hectic airline environment there are stewardesses out there...and some are flight attendants!
Today's 'stewardesses' include:
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"Deltalina" |
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Pam Ann |
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