Tim Kirkwood - The Flight Attendant Career Guide

Back in the 1920s and 1930s, Postmasters General Brown and Farley established the network of U.S. airways after Congress assigned them the power to consolidate air mail routes in the best interest of the American public. At first, only mail was flown, but gradually passenger traffic started to build. In 1922, Daimler Airways of Britain did something remarkable: It hired the worlds first airplane stewards. Undoubtedly hired because of their small stature, cabin boys reportedly did not serve any refreshments but offered passengers general assistance and reassurance.

Couriers thats what the first flight attendants were called in the United States. Their ranks included the young sons of the steamship, railroad, and industrial magnates who financed the airlines. In 1926, Stout Air Services of Detroit became the first U.S. airline to employ male aerial couriers, working on Ford TriMotor planes between Detroit and Grand Rapids, Michigan. Stout became part of the United Airlines conglomerate in 1929. Then Western (1928), and Pan Am (1929) were the next U.S. carriers to employ stewards to serve food. Pan American steward Joey Carrera recalls how the crew would lug along several days worth of food because nothing edible could be found at their stopover points. In the early flying boats, the so called galley was in the tail of the plane, and could be reached only by crawling on hands and knees through a low, narrow passageway. Returning to the passenger cabin while balancing food and drink took genuine skill. Stewards also worked on the ten-passenger Fokkers in the Caribbean, as gamblers traveled between Key West, Florida, and Havana, Cuba.

During the early days of commercial aviation, a pilot or first officer would often leave the cockpit to serve as a cabin attendant helping serve the passengers in addition to helping fly the planes. But this splitting of duties proved inefficient, so airlines began to consider other options.

Boeing Air Transport (BAT), a forerunner of United Air Lines, was the first airline to hire women. Registered nurse Ellen Church convinced Steven A. Stimpson, then District Traffic Manager for BAT, to consider using women as flight attendants. BATs executives allowed Mr. Stimpson to conduct a threemonth trial of women flight attendants, hiring Ms. Church as Chief Stewardess supervising seven other nurses. On May 15, 1930, the worlds Original Eight stewardesses flew for the first time.

Airline executives believed the presence of a female attendant on board would reassure passengers of the increasing safety of air travel. They thought it would be difficult for potential travelers to admit their fear of flying when young women were part of the inflight crew. They also believed that women would cater to their predominately male passengers. They were right on target. By the end of the threemonth trial, passenger bookings were steadily increasing and male passengers were arranging to fly on specific flights with their favorite stewardess. Not everyone was enthusiastic about the idea of female attendants, though. Pilots claimed they were too busy flying to have to look after helpless female crew members.

Flying on Boeing 80s and 80As, stewardesses would serve their ten passengers a cold meal, usually fried chicken, apples, and sandwiches, which they would pick up at the hanger before passengers boarded the plane. On flights out of Chicago, the famous Palmer House Hotel catered the food. In 1931, Eastern Air Transport hostesses served passengers in a hanger at Richmond, Virginia. On CurtissWright Condor aircraft (which had no galleys) hostesses served their 18 passengers coffee, tea, CocaCola, biscuits, and coffeecake from a picnic hamper. United used fine bone china until turbulence rendered that practice economically unsound. Coffee was served from thermos bottles.

In addition to a meal service, stewardesses were also responsible for winding clocks and altimeters in the cabin, swatting flies, and ensuring that the wicker passenger seats were securely bolted to the aircraft floor with the wrench they carried as part of their crew baggage. They were also required to advise passengers not to throw lighted cigars and cigarettes out aircraft windows while flying over populated areas and to make sure that passengers used the lavatory door rather than the exit door when in flight! Harriet Fry Iden, one of the Original Eight recalls, Our lavatory was very nice with hot and cold water, but the toilet was a can set in a ring and a hole cut in the floor, so when one opened the toilet seat, behold, open air toilet!