The Stewardess' Tale
Before there were flight attendants, there were stewardesses, and in this AMA episode we talk to Mary Hoy, who served as a stewardess aboard United Airlines from 1967-1973, who answers questions from our social media followers. Hoy describes the joys and struggles of being a stewardess during this Golden Age of Aviation and recalls experiencing rapid changes in aviation technology as she worked aboard a variety of planes from the Douglas DC-6 to the Boeing 747. And Hoy doesn’t shy away from detailing the sexism she encountered as well, like the time airlines started hiring men as flight attendants and she overheard the pilot declare, “I don’t know why a man would stoop so low to do a woman’s work.”
Want to check out one of the planes that Hoy served aboard? Come aboard the 747 next time you’re at the Museum. https://www.museumofflight.org/aircraft/boeing-747-121
Host: Sean Mobley
Producer: Justin Braegelmann/Keny Dutton
Webmaster: Layne Benofsky
Content Marketing Manager: Irene Jagla