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Come Fly With Us-- A Global History Of The Airline Hostess InstantOne of the most powerful quotes in the book comes from a 1975 deposition: "They didn’t want us to have lives. They wanted us to look like we didn't have pasts, presents, or futures—only smiles." The final section of Come Fly With Us traces the shift from "hostess" to "flight attendant"—and from service to safety. After 9/11, the public finally understood what crew members had always known: their primary job is not pouring coffee. It is evacuating a burning aircraft, subduing a violent passenger, and managing mass panic. And they won. By the late 70s, the marriage bans were gone. Age caps were lifted. Male flight attendants (who had existed since 1969, but were often relegated to purser roles on international flights) began to be hired in larger numbers. Come Fly with Us-- A Global History of the Airline Hostess Above all, you will understand that the airline hostess was never just a stewardess. She was a window into every major social battle of the 20th century: sex, race, labor, and the global reach of American culture. One of the most powerful quotes in the   |
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