Come Fly the World is a fascinating look at the
world of flight attendants in a more glamorous age, although that age clearly
was more challenging on a number of levels. Women took on the role of flight
attendant ("stewardess" back then) for many reasons, among them the
freedom to travel and see the world, personal independence, and the opportunity
for freedom that wasn't easily found for women decades ago. This is an era, not
so long ago, when the career options for women were limited. Female employees
of the State Department, looking to build careers in diplomatic service, had to
retire when they got married.
Throughout these decades, as the airline industry grew in a
post-World War II world, the tough, smart women who worked for the airlines
were witness to a changing world, including some of its glories and its
horrors, like their participation in flights carrying soldiers to and from the
Vietnam War, and the airlifts to save orphaned children as US involvement drew
to a close.
Focusing primarily on Pan Am and the culture that grew with
this leading international airline--with discussions of the roles of other
airlines, as well--Come Fly the World immerses the reader in the
experience airlines, particularly Pan Am, looked to create for travelers in a
very different era from today's travel experience. The onboard announcements
were part of the "showmanship," as the book quotes a publication of
the day pointing out. "Our passengers are starting out on an adventure and
we are helping them to get the feel of it immediately." Of course, this
also was an era when there was no question about the image the airlines wanted
to project in their stewardesses. Applying lipstick the right way, grooming
lessons, and so on, all were part of the job. This continued and only took on a
cruder tone in the "fly me" era of sexually-charged airline
advertising.
While the exploitive nature of this airline-to-employee
relationship is dubious, any number of these ladies also enjoyed the sexual and
romantic freedom their profession offered. Happily, this book doesn't shy away
from exploring this aspect of their careers, either. It's certainly not
something that should bring shame. Rather, the freedom to live life as they saw
fit is a great thing, and these pioneers of the professional world also helped
usher in greater freedom for women in general. This is summed up well with the
sharing of Helen Gurley Brown's favorite saying, "Good girls go to heaven.
Bad girls go everywhere."
For those of us who wish we'd been able to experience the
jet age and its classier approach to travel, being reminded of the days when
airlines turned out guide books with tips on how to get the most out of
visiting one city or another, Come Fly the World is a slice of
happy time travel. Hitting an excellent balance between the glory of that era
and the realities and challenges of life for those who lived it, the author
does an excellent job of letting us experience life from the perspective of
some of those who were on the front lines of the age.
From the first American flights to Moscow and the
stewardesses' watching out for KGB surveillance to experiencing Beirut before
it was devastated, back when it was the jewel of the Mediterranean, these
ladies had amazing experiences. Just reading about what they saw was an
exciting trip. Pan Am is gone now, as are a number of its contemporaries, and
travel looks different these days, for better or worse, but Come Fly the
World is a great read, capturing that era of international travel and the
experiences of women who changed not just their world but the face of society
going forward.
(I had the opportunity to review an advance copy of Come Fly the World. It's scheduled to be released on March 2, 2021, and I highly recommend it.)
