A recent American Airlines award ceremony honoring a flight attendant backfired this week when the woman took the stage, rejected the award and went on to complain about management, maintenance and operations at the airline. She complained for over fifteen minutes as presenters and attendees looked on in horror. Check out this MSNBC video as she tries to explain her actions.
Completely inappropriate or a good time to be heard?
Hey guys, ever have fantasies involving naughty stewardesses? Here’s something to add to your Christmas wish list: The flight attendants of infamous low-cost European airline Ryanair have shed their usual blue uniforms in favour of something skimpier in a new promotional item for the airline — they’re posing in teeny tiny bikinis for a new calendar, which will be sold on Ryanair flights for £5. This photo is of Miss January, in case you’re curious.
The proceeds from the sales of The Girls of Ryanair Calendar 2008 will be going to a good cause — Angel Quest is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping special needs kids. And for a limited time, you can order yours online by clicking here.
Check out this article for more sneak previews.
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In the old days, if you wanted to be a flight attendant, you had to be young, single and slim. That’s how things were when Iris Peterson got her start back in 1946. But during her more than 60 years in the airline industry, the world’s #1 Flight Attendant fought to end that kind of discrimination. Now, at age 85, she’s finally retiring.
Most of her work was through the Association of Flight Attendants — the attendants’ workers’ union. In 1953 she became the first official lobbyist for the organization (then called the Air Line Stewards and Stewardesses Association), and she quickly set to work changing policy. Not only did she see the repeal of archaic regulations — such as the one requiring that stewardesses had to leave the job when they got married — but also worked toward increased safety on airplanes, especially when engineers were creating the world’s first jumbo jet.
In fact, many of the things we take for granted on modern airplanes were directly affected by Peterson.
I’m always amazed when I read about people with such a passion and dedication to their careers. I wonder, how many travelers never realized they were flying with an industry legend?
[via Neatorama]