The Women Who Went Beyond The 'Friendly Skies'

How Airline Stewardesses Fought for Equality in the Jet Age

I’ve had a window into the world of aviation for the past decade or so, as my research has taken me to the intersection of weather and air travel.

In the process, I’ve uncovered fascinating tidbits of history regarding commercial and military aviation, and I recently stumbled upon a PBS documentary that completely grabbed my attention.

Fly With Me (the two-minute trailer is shown above) unfolds the captivating history of flight attendants. And I also discovered a surprising connection between this story and my forthcoming book (which I reveal at the end of this article).

Originally referred to as stewardesses, these young women—they were all young and female—helped to revolutionize commercial air travel, while becoming the faces of the airlines by appearing in major advertising campaigns.

Stewardesses, many of whom were from small towns, traveled the world and became synonymous with glamor and extravagant living. They had a dream job, as well as an exclusive one. But, they also paid a sky-high price.

United Airlines | PBS

When the Jet Age took off during the 1950s and 60s, women weren’t yet afforded the same rights as men. In addition to receiving low wages, stewardesses were required to follow a set of strict rules, such as, they had to be unmarried, childless, and under the age of thirty-two.

Uniformity was the name of the game.

They were given identical haircuts and were required to wear the same make-up. They had weight restrictions (and would have their pay docked if they surpassed the limit by just one pound).

Overall, they were presented as pretty Barbie-doll objects. On board for the pleasure of male passengers, who were mostly business executives.

PBS

Also, being that this was the era of segregation, Black stewardesses were few and far between. Those who made the cut were considered superstars and plastered on the covers of Ebony and Jet magazines. But their journey into the skies was turbulent, to say the least.

Airline officials openly admitted to not hiring Black women. They worried about losing business if Black stewardesses served White passengers. Moreover, airline exes feared that many White stewardesses would quit because the job would no longer be considered prestigious if Black women were employed.

This discriminatory hiring policy prompted a string of lawsuits filed by Black applicants. In 1956, Pat Noisette Banks Edmiston was the first to push back when she filed a complaint against Capital Airlines. It would take four years of litigation before she won her case and was hired.

Pat Noisette Banks Edmiston | PBS

Edminston’s actions helped to open the door a little wider. One year after she filed her lawsuit, other cases followed. Ruth Taylor filed a complaint against Trans World Airlines (TWA) and was subsequently hired by Mohawk Airlines in 1958. Marlene White did the same; this time fighting back against Northwest Airlines. She won her case in 1962.

Ruth Taylor on the cover of Jet magazine in 1958.

Empowered by the Civil Rights Movement and the nascent National Organization for Women, beginning in the mid-1960s, more stewardesses began taking their grievances to court to challenge the airlines on a host of issues.

They fought for better pay and the removal of unjust job requirements that had only applied to women and not the pilots or other male employees.

The stewardesses won all of their cases.

Sadly, the ride often remained a bumpy one for the small number of Black stewardesses who were subjected to racist remarks from passengers or had to endure rejection at the hands of their White peers. By 1970, Black women made up just three percent of stewardesses across all the airlines.

So what was the surprising connection between this story and my upcoming book?

Vietnam.

During the Vietnam War, the US Air Force’s Military Airlift Command (known today as the Air Mobility Command) was responsible for transporting troops and cargo to and from Southeast Asia. As a weather officer, my dad played a huge role in streamlining these missions by pioneering computer flight plans.

Although the Military Airlift Command operated an enormous fleet of aircraft, the monstrous war demanded more transports than the unit could handle. So, officials contracted private airlines to help fill the need.

Pan Am Airways was one of the companies that provided planes fully staffed with their pilots and smiling stewardesses. They flew from the US directly into active combat zones. Wow.

If you enjoy mind-blowing backstories, Fly With Me is definitely worth your time. The documentary was done well and is filled with surprising pieces of history that we should all know about.

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Kelly’s debut book, THE WEATHER OFFICER, will be available in the Summer/Fall 2024.