The Jet-Age Story of the Women of Pan Am
While flight attendants still hold a vaguely glamorous role in the back of my mind, I primarily see them through the lens of safety instructions given before flights and pushing the drinks cart up and down the aisle. Unfair? Certainly. Accurate? Maybe nowadays, but certainly not in the golden age of flying – which is the story that Cooke tells through Come Fly the World.
If you’ve ever seen the movie “Catch Me if You Can”, you’ll have a decent reference point for the glamour of flight that once existed – the pilots and stewardesses sauntering through the airport – and if you haven’t, please go watch it. References aside, Come Fly the World provided fascinating insight into the women that created the glamorous image of flight attendants and the qualifications needed to fly Pan Am – an exclusively international airline – between 1966 and 1975.
There were standards one might expect from an “image focused” profession, such as height and weight requirements, but there were other qualifications that caught me off guard. Women were required to have a college degree, speak at least two languages (although many knew more), and have the charisma and political savvy to handle various cultures and ambassadors who could be flying with the airline.
The book was a brief and intriguing glimpse into a world that I’ve largely taken for granted. Even though Pan Am no longer exists in name and flying does not hold the same grandeur that it once did, I have a newfound appreciation for the women who sought out new adventures and the stories they’ve been willing to share.
2% Rating: 7/10
Recommend? Yes
Re-Read? Maybe
Time: 1:26