Come Fly with Us!: A Global History
of the Airline Hostess by Johanna
Omelia
A Real Gem!
When the first commercial flights took off in the 1930s, stewardesses were
registered nurses whose duties included swatting flies and helping
passengers read railroad timetables in the event of forced landings. In the
1950s, stewardesses were viewed as wives-in-training, as adept at
preparing a babys bottle as mixing a martini. By the swinging 1960s and
1970s, female flight attendants were considered successful marketing
tools, sporting micro-minis, hot pants, and buttons that read Pure, Sober,
and Available to lure male business passengers on board. Come Fly With
Us! explores the unique history of this industry pioneered by women,
tracing changes in the flight attendants role - from flying nurse to airborne
sex kitten to todays custodian of safety and service. Stunning visuals from
airline archives and early flight maps, promotional brochures, and print
advertisements re-create a sense of the early days and underscore the
dramatic changes encountered in this dynamic industry.
Personal Review: Come Fly with Us!: A Global History of the
Airline Hostess by Johanna Omelia
This book really opened my eyes to the way female flight attendants (and,
much more recently, male flight attendants) have been treated, used and
promoted by the airline industry. This review may seem like I'm giving
away the entire story told in this book; but there's so much additional
information that you'll read in this book that this review is really just an
appetizer! I honestly found this book to be completely gripping and very
well presented. I couldn't put it down once I started reading it! SMILES
The book starts with stories and photos of the first flight attendants. Of all
things, these women were nurses enabled to assist jittery customers on
board the aircraft. In the very early days of commercial flight, airline flight
attendants were expected to do everything from serve a meal to touch up
the paint job of the airplane during stopovers! The book uses a very well
written text supplemented by countless photographs and advertisement
reproductions to demonstrate how airlines used flight attendants to lure
customers and make money. It's sad that over the course of history the
airline industry imposed such rules as forbidding airline attendants to
become married while working for the airlines. In later years, female

stewardesses were taken advantage of by airlines who forced them to
wear skimpy paper dresses to attract male customers.
On the other hand, it was great to read about flight attendants becoming
more empowered by government as the decades passed.
Again, a very strong point about this book is the terrific photos of flight
attendants and the faithful reproductions of advertisements used by the
airlines to increase business. These are fascinating to look at and enjoy
over and over again.
Overall, this is an excellent account of what went on "behind the scenes" at
airline companies as they employed flight attendants throughout the
decades. The last chapter of the book discusses in brief where the role of
the flight attendant is going as airlines get larger airplanes and face new
challenges in a post-September 11 world.
Kudos to Johanna Omelia and Michael Waldock for providing us with a
great account of the history of the airline hostess and host! I highly
recommend this book for persons who are interested in not just the history
of flight but how people's lives were changed by the airline industry as well.
This book is a great read and the photos will "wow" you! SMILES
For More 5 Star Customer Reviews and Lowest Price:
Come Fly with Us!: A Global History of the Airline Hostess by Johanna Omelia 5 Star
Customer Reviews and Lowest Price!