Why was being an air hostess seen as a glamorous and desirable career?

[AmEireCan]

Or should I say flight attendant, as the modern politically correct term goes. The girls are basically coffee servers. The minimum wage barista at Starbucks is more skilled than a flight attendant as they have to craft a wider variety of drinks. If it wasn't for the unions, flight attendants would be minimum wage, disinterested teenagers handing out your microwaved meal of beef or chicken. But your flight ticket would be cheaper too.

[AmEireCan]

These days catching a flight is like catching a bus, with the same class of people riding both modes of transport. Consequently, has being a flight attendant lost its luster?

[Peregrinus]

Yes, it has lost most of its lustre. There are still travel perks but, basically, cabin crew are glorified waitstaff working in a more than ordinarily stressful environment for a bit more than ordinary waitstaff pay. It's not considered a glamorous career any more. it might be thought of as a hard but fun thing to do for a few years, with possibly some attractive perks in the way of concessionary travel. I have a friend - a young single adult - who has given up a job as duty manager of a busy café to take up a cabin crew position - less management responsibility, more pay, and some fun perks in the form of discounted travel and not ungenerous away-from-home expenses.

Cabin crew are trained for a bit more than that, and they do have other responsibilities - emergency response, evacuation, first aid, underwater escape and survival - but they rarely get to actually do any of this, and it's only a small part of the training. It's 1% operation of a life raft in open waters, and 99% pouring the tomato juice.

Back in the day, it had higher status not only because air travel was considered inherently glamorous, but because a lot of other careers were either officially or practically closed to women. It was glamorous relative to other careers open to women.

[765489]

They do a good honest days work. Fair play to them. They deserve all the pay they can get.

[Memento Mori]

It is still a good career with some airlines. (i.e. not Ryanair).

[marhay70]

It was also a good platform in the mating game. Most hostesses were glamorous women and were in the presence of wealthy, influential men, not to mention airline pilots, who were often smitten by them and went on to marry them. The mother of the future Queen of England, Carole Middleton, was once an air hostess.

[Uncle Frank]

It is still a good career with some airlines. (i.e. not Ryanair).

At least they don't have to get their kit off to help fatten O'Leary's wallet anymore

Airline pilot as a career is quickly losing it's glamour and appeal in America. It's one of the worst paid jobs going now.

[Peregrinus]

It is still a good career with some airlines. (i.e. not Ryanair).

Yeah, but Ryanair is the largest airline in Europe. It and other budget airlines totally dominate the market, and they don't deliver cheap flights by making cabin crew positions into a premium career.

Ryanair, in short, isn't the exception; it's the norm.

Even with the full-service airlines, who have a reason to invest in their cabin crew, it isn't a great career. Full-service short-haul airlines are few and far between and rates of pay in the long-haul airlines are kept down by the fact that they can easily recruit well-qualified and well-skilled crew at rates well below what would be considered an attractive wage in Europe. And, wage rates and working conditions aside, across all the airlines there isn't much of a career path. In the cabin crew world there's a very large number of foot-soldiers, not a lot of NCOs and practically no pathway to the senior ranks. It can certainly be a good job, if you value the travel and associated perks, but I'm not sure that it translates into a great career.

[Peregrinus]

It was also a good platform in the mating game. Most hostesses were glamorous women and were in the presence of wealthy, influential men, not to mention airline pilots, who were often smitten by them and went on to marry them. The mother of the future Queen of England, Carole Middleton, was once an air hostess.

. . . who married a flight dispatcher. it was her daughter who married into the quality.

[Memento Mori]

Yeah, but Ryanair is the largest airline in Europe. It and other budget airlines totally dominate the market, and they don't deliver cheap flights by making cabin crew positions into a premium career.

Ryanair, in short, isn't the exception; it's the norm.

Even with the full-service airlines, who have a reason to invest in their cabin crew, it isn't a great career. Full-service short-haul airlines are few and far between and rates of pay in the long-haul airlines are kept down by the fact that they can easily recruit well-qualified and well-skilled crew at rates well below what would be considered an attractive wage in Europe. And, wage rates and working conditions aside, across all the airlines there isn't much of a career path. In the cabin crew world there's a very large number of foot-soldiers, not a lot of NCOs and practically no pathway to the senior ranks. It can certainly be a good job, if you value the travel and associated perks, but I'm not sure that it translates into a great career.

No, it's not a great career, I said it was a good one, with the right airline. (Of course, I am talking about pre-covid, it's shakey at present). It also depends on the qualifications and ability of the person involved of course, what is a good career for someone might be a poor one for you and I.

[Uncle Frank]

Look at this picture of male flight stewards from 1945. They look like they are about to break into a song and dance routine


Air hostesses were seen as very stylish in the 60s and 70s because their uniforms were being made by the most 'in' fashion designers of the time.

I also found out that in the 60s American Airlines were only interested in eye candy (should that be sky candy ) and they used to 'retire' their hostesses at 32.
It reminds me of Logan's Run!

[490808]

And some of the things they expect air hostesses to do



OK so it was a stunt woman but had to get that in somehow.

[dawg]

Walking in Howth one summer afternoon a guy with a camera asked me for directions to the train station. Wasnt easy to explain on account of where we were, so he followed me and we got to chat. He was from India. He worked as cabin crew for one of the middle east big threee airlines. Because of aviation working hour regs he had to routinely overnight and thensome down line from base. He had decided to spend some of this time exploring and photographing the countries that he got sent to. He had done a fair few countries in Europe and also some of Asia.
He was single, the pay was good and the job gave him the opportunity to do something that otherwise he would never have been able to do. Maybe its not glamorous in the way OP means but its still pretty cool

[Scotty]

I've a very good friend who does transatlantic with Aerlingus. They're usually two or three nighters where the crew will be put up in a 4 star and will get what I would call generous 'spending money'(>€150/night). So she spends several nights per month in either Chicago, Boston, New York, etc. A couple of times a year she'll bring bring my Mrs with her as part of here freebie flights, usually 1st class. She loves it. The same girl owns a very successful ecommerce business. She doesn't need the cabin crew income in the least.

[Uncle Frank]

. . . who married a flight dispatcher. it was her daughter who married into the quality.

The Middleton's aren't titled but they have twice as much money as William and lots of property too. They sent their kids to the most expensive schools in Britain and paid for Kate's £250,000 wedding dress.
Even before she married William, Kate was worth about £5 million.

[Calahonda52]

Or should I say flight attendant, as the modern politically correct term goes. The girls are basically coffee servers. The minimum wage barista at Starbucks is more skilled than a flight attendant as they have to craft a wider variety of drinks. If it wasn't for the unions, flight attendants would be minimum wage, disinterested teenagers handing out your microwaved meal of beef or chicken. But your flight ticket would be cheaper too.

A crude, opinionated and very clearly misogynistic post, with a narrow and narrow-minded focus on the most visible part of their work.

[AmEireCan]

If we all agree that being a flight attendant ain't as glamorous as it used to be then why maintain the charade with the fashionable uniforms and immaculate hair and makeup? The skillset necessary to be a flight attendant is comparable to a minimum wage fast food worker so perhaps to save money the airlines can downgrade their attire to match their colleagues in McDonalds.

[CelticRambler]

If we all agree that being a flight attendant ain't as glamorous as it used to be then why maintain the charade with the fashionable uniforms and immaculate hair and makeup? The skillset necessary to be a flight attendant is comparable to a minimum wage fast food worker so perhaps to save money the airlines can downgrade their attire to match their colleagues in McDonalds.

Is there any particular reason why you have such apparent disdain for flight attendants? Setting aside the argument that the skillset is the same as for anyone working in a terrestrial service industry (it's not) the change in the "glamour" or perceived social status of airline personnel is comparable to many other professions. There was a time when being a medical doctor was considered "glamourous"; now, for the majority of younger doctors, it's little more than a "service industry" dispensing prescriptions to hypochondriacs. There was a time when being a vet was "glamourous" and young people dreamed of following in James Herriot's tyre-tracks. Nowadays, they probably dream of being the next Noel Fitzpatrick, but five years of being a corporate pawn is enough to force a sizeable proportion to shred their diploma.

Regardless of the perceived social status, though, there's nothing wrong with a company using its staff uniforms to project a professional image. I've never really understood the reasoning behind the severe hair-and-make-up regime imposed on cabin crew, but given the choice between an airline staffed by a crew in t-shirts and jeans, or one in a well-cut uniform, I'd opt for the latter. For the same reason that I had a stylist choose the "right" uniform (complete with accessories) for my own staff, back in the day.