REAL Time Travlr

Flight Path: 5 Questions for a Former Pan Am Stewardess…

Everyone has PanAm fever! Inquiring minds want to know: “Is it real?” “Was air travel really as glamourous as we see on ABC’s new show, Pan Am?” Yes it was… and more.

Dr. Sheila E. Nutt, former Pan American World Airways stewardess tell us about her life within the company, navigating motherhood, and classic air flight. 

Our readers want to know how accurate the show is versus

real life? Was air flight as glamorous?

Yes, working for Pan Am was glamorous! We flew to exotic ports of

call, had distinguished passengers and had limosines waiting to wisk

us off to the most luxurious hotels around the world. As a matter of

fact, that’s what Pan Am was selling to get people to use airplanes vs

trains or buses. Stewardesses were originally required to have a

nursing degree, be a certain height and weight, attractive, poised,

intelligent and know how to alleviate your fears and make you

comfortable in their “home”. Pan Am stewardesses were different in

that you had to be at least 21 years old when hired, have at least 2

years of college and speak a second language. You’d have to pass a

language qualifying exam before you completed probation. We were

taught how to anticipate someone’s needs and then fulfill them in a

mature and nurturing manner. We represented the world’s most

experienced airline and we were expected to always “put our best foot

forward”. We were expected to act like we were the best and we did.

The pilots were older than portrayed on the show. There is and Indian

pilot on the show but back then there was hardly more than one Black

one. They were all former military pilots with years/hours of

experience under their belts. We would never drink champagne from a

bottle as I saw on one episode. We knew all the best wines and

champagne and what to serve them with. We knew how to cook roast beef

to your personal satisfaction. We could fold cloth napkins 4-5

different ways. Service was impeccable and equal to the most

prestigious restaurant in the world. We knew the best places to shop

for bargains in the world and got the best prices because we were Pan

Am stewardesses. They could count on us to bring other stewardesses if

we were happy customers and bad mouth them/black ball their store if

we didn’t like them. We had lots of buying power.

Were the regulations on the PanAm uniforms strict? What happens if

you didn’t follow the rules?

Yes, regulations were strict. We would have random weight checks by

supervisors and if you were one pound over weight you were taken off

the flight and not allowed to work another flight until you were

within the weight limits. There was a medical chart that determined

the weight for your height. In my day when African American

stewardesses wanted to wear an afro hairstyle, sometimes we pushed th

envelop and the supervisor would give us a warning. We’d pull our hair

back and let it out once we were in flight. The senior purser was

responsible for maintaining the regulations away from home base; did

everyone wear their hat, white gloves and appropriate shoes during

boarding and departure; regulations shoes and apron during service,

for example. The purser would then report you to management. A

stewardess didn’t want too many bad reports in their file.

How have things changed for  flight attendants - female

particularly. Also, what was the hardest part of your job? Are/were

there stigma(s) she had to overcome?

I started flying February 1970. The regulations were strict then; no

marriage or children.  No retirement restrictions. One could fly as

long as she wanted to. When you got married you had to quit. No one

back then acknowledged she had a child out of wedlock. Things changed

in 1972, I believe was the year. I was married in 1973 and had a child

in 1977. Back then you had to take a leave of absence as soon as you

found out you were pregnant. You could use your sick time then take

workman’s comp for the rest of the leave. You could take the full 9

months and an additional 6 months with out pay. You’d continue to

accrue senority for the first nine months since it was the airlines

that restricted your working. It was your choice. No pregant

stewardesses on board!

Passengers back in the day were more polite. They got dressed to fly

on Pan Am. Even children came on board dressed nicely. Most passengers

expressed manners and respected us. They were in awe of us and many

times wanted our photo. I often wonder how many strangers have my

photo in their family album. We represented America for many

foreigners. Even today when I speak with a foreigner my age, and tell

them I used to be a Pan Am stewardess, they are in awe and want to

share their memory of Pan Am with me.

My father didn’t want me to be a stewardess because he’d heard they

were loose women who had affairs with numerous men. I don’t believe

stewardess were any more promiscious than any other population of

women. We were known to be beautiful and men are attracted to

beautiful women.

The most difficult part of my job was to leave my children once I

became a mother. It was more difficult to pretend I was happy to see

all those strangers who wanted something from me; pilow, blanket,

coffee or tea or just my attention. We had to be good actresses after

a while. All of us said we wanted to be stewardesses because we love

people. After a while, we began to loath them! :-) The thrill is gone

after a few years. It becomes a job we do only for the perks; days off

and flying benefits for yourself and family. It was good pay back

then. Things changed after deregulation of the airlines.

How do you feel about the airline charging fees for things that

used to be free?

Things have changed so much since my day. It is disgraceful the way

things are now. Air travel is no longer glamorous. It is the act of

getting people from point A to point B as cheaply as possible. The

flight attendants don’t have the same joie de vivre for their job.

They lack any enthusiasm for their job because many have been doing it

for over 1/4 century. I can see why; the pay is lousy and the

passengers are disrespectful and the airlines don’t respect the work

they do. I sympathize with the flight attendant who jumpped down the

emergency slide with a beer in his hand! It’s horrible that they make

passengers pay for refreshments that are so distasteful and expensive!

If you were a flight attendant during the era of 9/11 would you

have stayed on the job or quit?

I would have probably quit. I knew from the beginning that I would use

Pan Am to prepare myself for another career and leave when the time

was right. 9/11 would have been my time to leave. I completed my EdD

in 1986 and knew in 1984 it was time for me to go. It was like

deciding to get a divorce from your husband. You knew the marriage was

on the rocks, not going anywhere but you were afraid of what lies

ahead. I took the plunge at the right time and I’m all the better for

it. I love the jobs I’ve had since Pan Am. I am one of the blessed

ones!

Dr. Shelia E. Nutt is currently the Director of Educational Outreach at Harvard University.